One of the places in world that is the favorite jaunt for immigrants and expats is Portugal.
All in all, the country is one of the greatest places to retire.
Before you decide on packing your bags and belongings, as a retiree, you need to be fully aware of the system of health care in Portugal.
Officially, the country is known as the Portuguese Republic and is located in southwestern Europe.
It is located on the upper part of the Iberian peninsula, particularly the westernmost part of mainland Europe.
It is bordered on the east and north by Spain and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean.
Also forming part of the country are the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores.
After decades of mismanagement, reforms to the system of healthcare in Portugal were undertaken in 2002.
The end result of these reforms was a more efficient and effective system attuned to the needs of the Portuguese people.
The healthcare system provides services to the eligible members of the Portuguese population.
The coverage also provides services to the members of the European Union countries.
The system of healthcare in Portugal has three co-existing systems.
These are the National Health Service, the health insurance sub-system and the private insurance sector.
The system works for European Union citizens through reciprocal health agreements among nations.
If you are sojourning to Portugal, you need to fill out form E111 from your place of origin.
The forms can be obtained from the Post Office and needs to be submitted to the hospital or clinic attending to your needs while in Portugal.
As for those seeking permanent residence in this Iberian country, the system of healthcare in Portugal provides free basic health care for European Union member citizens.
The benefits include free appointments to doctors as well as free medication.
As a retiree, one needs to fill out form E121 and those who are qualified for state pensions can still avail of the free health coverage upon completion of form E106.
Should the temporary cover expires before retirement age, then one can either make a voluntary social security contribution or obtain private health insurance.
As for non European Union nationals, there is a need for personal insurance coverage before obtaining medical treatment in Portugal.
If you are a bona fide employee in Portugal and a reported contributor to the country's social security system, you can readily avail of free treatments from the system of health care in Portugal.
Non-essential medications though are not provided for free as you would need to shoulder forty to the full cost of the medicines.
A lot of medicines can easily be obtained over the counter without need of a doctor's prescription.
If you are resident of Portugal, then you need to obtain a medical card from your personal doctor from the local health center.
In order to obtain the card, you need to present proof of residency as well as your social security card.
If you hail from North America or Western Europe, you may find that the services for health care in Portugal are below standard.
This does not mean that Portugal's system is bad for it is relatively good especially after the reforms undertaken.
As advised in Expat Forum, "Once you have grasped the real idea on how their health care system works, for sure you will not have a hard time adjusting when you are already in the European country.
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