What a serious health event costs with nothing covering you

Key rules

• Emergency care: Public hospitals must treat you in an emergency until discharge, even without cover.
• Billing: The hospital can still bill you when no insurer or agreement pays.
• Regional prices: Each region sets its own prices, so the same event costs different amounts in different places.
• Buffer: Keep several thousand euros available for an ER visit, an ambulance and a short stay.

Prices are set by each region and change often, so confirm current figures in your region's published price list before relying on them.

The short answer

You will be treated in an emergency, but you may be billed for it. Plan a cash buffer of several thousand euros to cover an ER visit, an ambulance and a short hospital stay.

Will a hospital refuse you?

No. Emergency care in public hospitals is guaranteed to everyone until discharge. But the hospital may still bill you when no insurer or agreement pays. An insurer, or an EU or bilateral agreement, can be that payer. If none applies to you, the bill comes to you.

What the bill is made of

Each region sets its own public prices for people without cover. So the same event costs different amounts in Madrid, Andalusia or Catalonia. Billing practice also differs by region.

• ER visit. A basic visit is usually a few hundred euros. More tests and a higher level of care raise the price.
• Ambulance. The price depends on the vehicle (basic, medicalised or air), the distance and the region. A non-urgent transfer within a city often costs tens to a few hundred euros. An advanced life-support ambulance costs more. Private operators set their own prices.
• Hospital stay. You are charged per day, and the price depends on the unit. A ward bed costs hundreds of euros a day. Intensive care costs more.
• Extras. Surgery, tests and medicines are charged on top of the daily rate.

A short stay can reach several thousand euros.

How to size your buffer

1. Find your region's price list for care without cover. Your regional health service or its official bulletin publishes it.
2. Take the ER visit price.
3. Add the ambulance tariff, using the advanced life-support rate to be safe.
4. Multiply the ward and intensive care daily prices by the days you could be admitted.
5. Add a separate amount for surgery, tests and medicines.

Add these up and keep that sum in an account you can reach quickly. Prices are updated by regional order, so check the list again once a year.

What to do after an event

Keep every bill and report. Ask the hospital's admissions or billing office what the charge covers and whether another payer, such as an insurer, can be billed instead. The checklist and questions below go through the steps.

Checklist

• Look up the public price order for care without cover in the region where you live.

• Note the price of a basic ER visit, which is usually a few hundred euros.

• Note the daily price of a ward bed and of intensive care, then multiply by the number of days you could be admitted.

• Check the ambulance tariff for your region and vehicle type, including advanced life support.

• Set aside a buffer that covers an ER visit, an ambulance and a short stay of several thousand euros.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a hospital stay cost more than an ER visit without cover?

A stay is charged per day, so the bill grows with every night you stay. The daily price depends on the unit, with intensive care costing more than a ward. Surgery, tests and medicines are charged on top, so a short stay can reach several thousand euros.

Does an ambulance cost the same everywhere in Spain without cover?

No, ambulance prices change with the region, the type of vehicle and the distance.

Where can I find the exact price list for care without cover in my region?

Each region publishes its own public prices (precios públicos) for people without health coverage, and they are updated by regional order. Ask the hospital's admissions or billing office, or your regional health department, for the current list.