Data Shows Half of Retired British Expats Living in Europe Are Registered in Spain
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With the wonderful weather and low cost f living
its no wonder why so many Brits want to live in Spain
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The BBC found that, across the EEA, 145,000 British expat
pensioners are registered for healthcare provided by the EU reciprocal agreement.
Over 70,000 of these people are registered in Spain; way
more than the 43,000 registered in France.
On the other hand only 201 French pensioners and 81 Spanish
pensioners are registered to receive reciprocal healthcare in the UK;
showcasing the factors retirees consider when choosing a destination; the
sunshine, warmth, and slow pace of life. There’s a lot of good things about the
UK but it seriously underperforms in these three categories.
Spain, by comparison, boasts an incredible climate, great
healthcare and infrastructure and, of course, the world-renowned Mediterranean
diet.
Given how many retirees from the UK are living in Spain the
amount of retirees registered for healthcare in the country might sound a
little low. However this can be explained quite simply; many of those retirees
are wealthy and will likely choose private healthcare; something else Spain
handles incredibly well.
The report also showed the BBC that just £674.4 million was
spent providing these pensioners in the EEA with healthcare; which should put
to bed the arguments about how these pensioners are draining the services of
their host countries through cost of living expenses.
Britain also received £49.7 million from other EEA countries
to cover healthcare costs for their citizens.
