Valencia, Spain?

[Ed Rooney]

Wow, as we say in Brooklyn, yous guys knows a bunch a stuff.

 

Thanks 

[John Mitchell]

 Montreal always gets hot during the summer. However, the current heatwave is reportedly the worst since 2010. It too shall pass...

 

When I lived in Montreal, I used to visit NYC sometimes in July and August, and I remember all the sizzling concrete and complete lack of air movement due to the many tall buildings, making it feel even more uncomfortable than Montreal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Martin P Wilson]

6 minutes ago, funkyworm said:

 The UK was a member in the 1980's. Which may or may not help.

 

What may help... do you still have your national insurance number?  It will depend on your circumstances but you may be able to claim a percentage of UK pension depending on how long you lived there. With mine it works out at 2% of pension for every year I lived there between the ages of 15-65. Now 8% of a UK state pension is not going to be a life changing amount, but in my circumstances because the Dutch system works similarely, it helps address the shortfall to a certain extent.

The people you need to contact are the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in Newcastle.

 

 

That's a good point and the EU thing is irrelevant in respect of pension, just how many years you paid National Inusrance - every year you were working in UK, even freelance as long as you were declaring your income to HMRC.

 

BTW, I think 2% of the UK state pension is around £1 per week, so the annual figure if you worked for several years is worth the effort of chasing it down! I am not sure but you might even get an increase as you have deferred taking it! My wife deferred hers for a year or so and it made a worthwhile difference.

[Ed Rooney]

I wasn't employed by anyone in the UK in the '80s, and I never paid or used the healthcare system. I did see a Harley Street doc twice, but paid him cash. I don't think it would be a great idea for me to explain all the details of my stay in this open forum. 

 

Edo

[spacecadet]

1 hour ago, funkyworm said:

 

Fair enough not wanting to divulge. But you still may qualify. (Maybe, perhaps, possibly.) It is not necessarily necessary to have been paying in. Otherwise some could get left behind.

On the other hand I cant imagine, for example, USAF personnel based in the Uk being able to claim.

You're entitled to healthcare in the UK merely by residence, so no help to Ed, but the state pension is contributory.

[spacecadet]

17 minutes ago, funkyworm said:

 

But what happens in cases where for example, one partner has spent their working life bringing up the kids, so not paying contributions, and then their partner disappears from the scene for what ever reason just before pensionable age?

 

When I contacted the DWP, they gave me the information that it depended on how long you lived in the country between 15-65... and lets face it, at 15 not many people are making contributions from their paper round.  I have been wrong in the past, will be in the future, and could be in this instance. But it could be worth a ten minute letter from Edo to make sure.

You get credited for that. It's called home responsibilities protection. My OH has more than 20 years of it so will get a full pension when she draws it.

 

[spacecadet]

5 minutes ago, funkyworm said:

 

Ahhh... that could well be the case and when I contacted them they told me I had a certain amount of years but not that it was insufficient. And they may well have changed the rules in the mean time. A budget cut which doesn;t cost votes. Due to a number of factors I hadn;t made the assumption that it was certain. There is a UK pensionado on the allotment so I'll ask her her sitaution next time I see her. It wouldn;t surprise if she fell through the cracks and came out smelling of roses.

 

Sorry, Edo for kidnapping the thread.

I've edited that out- the amount you get depends on the years you contributed here, but the number of years includes time spent in any EEA country. So as long as you have 10 years of contributions anywhere, which you must have, you'll get a piece of the UK action.

[spacecadet]

8% of the current full pension is about £12/week.

Enough for a few

(sorry I couldn't manage a Dutch one- Amsterdam was the morning after the night before and we couldn't even face coffee. Especially not at a Koffiehuis.)

[Ed Rooney]

3 hours ago, funkyworm said:

Sorry, Edo for kidnapping the thread.

 

No, this is the kind of information I need.

 

If I can get my Irish passport up and ready, I will enter Europe and then try to work out the rest. That will end up being the path I take. I can't work out all details in advance.

 

A couple of those Trappist pints and I will need immediate medical attention.

 

Edo

[Phil Crean]

This is another interesting read...

 

Especially the last paragraph for you Edo

 

Can I get Health Care In Spain?

 

The Spanish National Healthcare Service is considered to be one of the best in Europe. Most statistics show the  the equal of the UK NHS and in some cases better. Access to this service is freely available to EU citizens as long as you have taken the necessary steps to prove your entitlement to the Spanish authorities, which in the case of  a retired person’s S1 document  will include applying for a Green  Residence registration certificate. The rules for getting state healthcare in Spain are different , the system is contribution based not residence based as in the UK.

A European Health Card will entitle visitors to Spain to health service cover for holiday stays of up to 90 days at a time only.

Once you have obtained all the necessary permits, you then have to register with your local GP to finalize the process., Most National health GPs in Tenerife DO NOT speak English and will require you to bring an interpreter. I can translate at this initial meeting and accompany you to any subsequent doctors or specialist appointments. You would be wise to bring any records of previous medical history with you.

Prescriptions are NOT free even for Pensioners a small percentage contribution is payable for each item of medication.

Ways of qualifying for permanent healthcare entitlement in Spain

• If you are registered to work in Spain and make national insurance contributions then you can get state-run health care on the same basis as a Spanish national. For further information, get in touch with your local TGSS office.
• If you registered as a resident in Spain before 24 April 2012, have an annual income of less than €100,000 and are not covered for healthcare though any other means, speak to your local INSS office to register for healthcare in Spain as a resident.
• If you are in receipt of a UK old age state pension or long term sickness benefit, obtain an S1 form from the International Pension Centre on +44 191 218 7777. Once issued, register the S1 form with your local INSS office, before you register with your local GP surgery and obtain a medical card.
• If you are a worker seconded to Spain, or the family member of a someone making UK national insurance contributions, contact HMRC to see if you have entitlement to an S1 form. Once issued, register the S1 form with your local INSS office , before you register with your local GP surgery.
• If you are coming to study or are currently studying in Spain as part of a UK-recognised course, you may be entitled to healthcare paid for by the UK .
• Purchasing Public Health Insurance -If you are not covered for state-run healthcare through other means, the Spanish regional health authorities offer a special pay-in scheme (convenio especial). This is a public health insurance scheme available nation-wide where you pay a monthly fee to access state-run healthcare. The scheme is managed by each autonomous region. Policy holders, including children, pay on an individual basis for access to public healthcare, regardless of pre-existing conditions, anywhere in Spain. The basic monthly fee is 60€ for the under 65s and 157€ for those aged 65 and above. However, prescriptions are not subsidised at this rate so you would pay 100% of prescription costs. This form of cover doesn’t give holders the right to a Spanish EHIC so if youtravel elsewhere you will have to obtain private insurance. The scheme is available in the Canary Islands

 

 

Phil

[spacecadet]

Pints? You must be joking. A twelve-ounce bottle lasts half the night.

[John Mitchell]

7 hours ago, spacecadet said:

You're entitled to healthcare in the UK merely by residence, so no help to Ed, but the state pension is contributory.

 

Same situation in Canada, but there is usually a three-month waiting period for new residents during which they are not covered by Medicare ( as it's called here). 

[vpics]

Last year, before I moved back to Germany permanently and got health insurance here, I had to go into casualty at a German hospital. The way it works was: they treated me and send me a bill. They said: pay and claim it back from the NHS ... as it wasn't a huge amount, I just paid it, but never contacted the NHS about it. 

 

Not really sure how EHIC will work post-Brexit.

[Ed Rooney]

My own face just wouldn't fit into that circle -- but my old B&W of a blues harp player of long past fits nicely.

 

What about Alicante? Near to Valencia on the coast, somewhat smaller, and rents are listed as less. 

 

With my son's help, I activated my iPhone 7 last night. Do I own it or does it now own me? 

 

Edwardo of Spain (Maybe)

[Betty LaRue]

Interesting. Alacante’s weather is like Los Angles. Sounds like a beautiful, vibrant city. Very little rain. But can come in torrents once in awhile. 107 highest temp that came over 20 years ago? Seldom falling below 39F?  I’ll take that.

 

Yesterday I went back to Oklahoma City to close out our safe deposit box. Last I heard on the radio, it was 109F there at around 3pm.. My car read 113. All that road concrete, of course.

Talk about a blast out of Hell! 

Betty

[John Mitchell]

52 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

My own face just wouldn't fit into that circle -- but my old B&W of a blues harp player of long past fits nicely.

 

What about Alicante? Near to Valencia on the coast, somewhat smaller, and rents are listed as less. 

 

With my son's help, I activated my iPhone 7 last night. Do I own it or does it now own me? 

 

Edwardo of Spain (Maybe)

 

Apple (not the Big Apple) owns you now. Just kidding, but be careful, it's true what they say about the tools we shape then shaping us.

 

At first I thought that might be a young James Cotton, but probably not. He does look familiar, though. There are so many great blues harpists to choose from.

[Bryan]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

What about Alicante? Near to Valencia on the coast, somewhat smaller, and rents are listed as less. 

 

Edwardo of Spain (Maybe)

 

We stayed in Alicante quite a while ago. From memory it does have an attractive older quarter and a pleasant promenade, but it's more of a commercial port than Valencia. We enjoyed our stay and you can get around easily by train - for example inland to Murcia, or along the coast. However it was also the place where two youths tried to pinch stuff from our luggage, they walked away when I realised what was going on,  but I guess that could happen in many locations. ( We witnessed the aftermath of a knifing in Barcelona).

 

 

[Abiyoyo]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

My own face just wouldn't fit into that circle -- but my old B&W of a blues harp player of long past fits nicely.

 

What about Alicante? Near to Valencia on the coast, somewhat smaller, and rents are listed as less. 

 

With my son's help, I activated my iPhone 7 last night. Do I own it or does it now own me? 

 

Edwardo of Spain (Maybe)

Or maybe Castellón de la Plana, between Valencia and Barcelona, or the smaller Peñíscola. Tarragona could be more expensive. As it was noted already you can have a look in https://www.idealista.com/en/

and compare rent prices. Probably the north o Spain, Asturias, Cantabria or part of Galicia could be cheaper.

[Ed Rooney]

John, that guy was standing on a corner of the Bowery, as I recall. Not famous. But then I saw the famous Charley Parker sleeping rough on the Bowery once. 

[John Mitchell]

16 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

John, that guy was standing on a corner of the Bowery, as I recall. Not famous. But then I saw that famous Charley Parker sleeping rough on the Bowery once. 

 

You never know, it might have been Peg Leg Sam.

[Ed Rooney]

For the next two weeks, I'll be here in Montreal alone. Hanny and Lyne are off on a thrip to South Carolina. They have more luggage than Liz Taylor, but I think they will be doing some camping. I have much to do. 

 

The local bistro has a small menu, but great tasty healthy food. I've been eating dinners cooked by Lyne, but I'll go back to my fasting regime tonight. 

 

Oh, and the beer is good. At dinner we've been drinking wine.

 

I'm most impressed by the way this city is run. Recycling is great, as is public transportation. On a personal level, not one person has made me feel inadequate because I have no French. This was the way of the people in Mexico also. They seem to separate USA politics from the people. 

 

 

 

[spacecadet]

Peñíscola is a small seaside town with wall-to-wall tourist hotels along the beach. I think you'd run out of restaurants pretty quickly. It does have a wonderful old town with a castle on top (the one in El Cid) but it's a pretty steep walk up.

Still, it's the first place I ever spent my birthday outside the UK.

[Martin P Wilson]

Would Canada be an option? Or would the winters be too much?

[John Mitchell]

Glad to hear that you're enjoying your stay in Montreal, Edo. It's an exceptional city IMO, but I admit to being biased since I grew up there for the most part. I try to go back for a visit every year, and I'm always impressed with how Montreal is evolving. No doubt you've ridden on the excellent Metro system by now. It's a great way to get around. I remember when the subway opened for Expo 67. Bonjour, mais oui, s'il vous plait, and merci beaucoup, are about all the French words that you really need.

 

Bon appétit. 

 

[Ed Rooney]

Martin, as a US citizen of a certain age, I can not legally settle in Canada or Mexico.

 

And Mark, yes Peñíscola is yet another attractive little Spanish port town, especially attractive if I were looking for a place where I could clime up and down more levels than Porto. I could walk up and down those levels today, but what about in two years? 

 

I'm wondering if I put this link in here before? If not:  https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings.jsp

 

The numbeo list has to do with cost only. Let me remind you all (and remind myself) of the other things I'm looking for.

 

Climate, cuisine, culture, walkability, no need for a car, and the possibility of getting a resident visa. And useful stock subjects. Political stability is important too, so Somalia and Venezuela are off the list. And there's the complex subject of healthcare. 

 

But I'm not looking for Shangri-La. My idea of cold is Canada in winter. I think of Southern Vietnam as hot. I didn't have AC in NYC. I'm looking for a realistic balance of all conditions. And I can't be flying off here and there trying everyplace out.