You're paying €150/month for private health insurance that sounded comprehensive when you signed up. Then you need surgery and discover the policy caps hospitalization at €5,000. Or your property floods and the insurance company points to the exclusions list: "daños por agua no incluidos" — water damage not included. Or your contractor damages your neighbor's wall, and your liability policy has a €5,000 deductible you didn't know existed.

Insurance on Costa del Sol is cheaper than UK or US equivalents, but Spanish policies hide exclusions in dense legal language that destroy coverage exactly when you need it. Here's what you actually need—health, property, liability—with real pricing, coverage requirements, and the exclusions that will cost you €10,000-50,000 if you don't catch them before signing.

Living here requires three distinct policies: private health insurance if you're non-EU or choosing private over public, property insurance if you own or sometimes rent, and liability insurance that covers you when you damage someone else's property or they get hurt at your place.

Most expats get at least one wrong. The basic problem: insurance companies sell "comprehensive" policies that exclude precisely the expensive situations you'd need coverage for.

Spanish health insurance divides into three real tiers, regardless of marketing language.

Basic tier (€80-120/month per person): Sanitas Básico, Adeslas Plena Vital, Asisa Básica. You get GP visits, basic specialists, emergency room access, and standard diagnostics. What you don't get: surgery requiring hospitalization is often capped at €3,000-5,000, oncology treatment beyond initial scans, chronic disease medications you pay for separately, mental health, maybe 10 sessions annually, and dental requiring a separate policy. Pre-existing conditions are excluded entirely for six-12 to twelve months.

This works if you're healthy, under 40, and can afford to pay €5,000-10,000 out of pocket if something serious happens.

Mid-range tier (€150-250/month per person): Sanitas Más Salud, Adeslas Plena Plus, DKV Premium. Everything in basic plus real hospitalization coverage (€30,000-50,000 caps), broader specialist networks, better chronic disease coverage, and more mental health sessions. What you don't get: full oncology often capped at €100,000, unlimited chronic disease treatment has lifetime caps, maternity requires a separate expensive rider, and pre-existing conditions still face six- to 12-month waiting periods.

This works for ages 40-60, relatively healthy people who want real protection against expensive surprises.

Premium tier (€300-500/month per person): Cigna Global, Allianz Care, Bupa International. True international coverage, including treatment in your home country, no territorial restrictions, higher caps (€1M+), and better chronic disease and oncology coverage. What you don't get: it's still insurance—they'll still deny claims if policy language allows, pre-existing conditions are usually excluded in the first year, and maternity requires specific coverage upgrades.

This works if you travel frequently, want treatment flexibility across countries, and can afford premium pricing.

Every policy has a lista de exclusiones — exclusions list. Common gotchas: "tratamientos experimentales" excludes newer cancer therapies, "enfermedades preexistentes" means anything diagnosed before policy start gets denied for six-12 months, "límite anual" caps total payout per year, and "copago" means you pay €10-50 per visit even with coverage.

The real question to ask insurers: "Si necesito quimioterapia por cáncer, ¿cuánto cubre exactamente?" — If I need chemotherapy for cancer, exactly how much does it cover? If they won't give you a euro amount with exclusions explained, walk away.

Standard Spanish property insurance often excludes water damage—the single most common claim in coastal properties. You think you're covered. You're not.

If renting, contents insurance covers your belongings if stolen, damaged by fire, or destroyed. Critical addition: "daños por agua" — water damage — must be explicitly included. Typical cost: €150-300/year for €30,000-50,000 coverage from Línea Directa, Mapfre, or AXA.

If you own buildings plus contents insurance, it covers the structure and belongings. Critical additions needed: "daños por agua," "responsabilidad civil" — liability coverage if someone gets hurt on your property, "rotura de cristales" — glass breakage, and "defensa jurídica" — legal defense if a neighbor sues you. Typical cost: €400-800/year for apartments, €800-1,500/year for villas from Mapfre, AXA, Generali, or Allianz.

The water damage clause you must have: "Cobertura de daños por agua, incluyendo fugas, inundaciones, y averías de tuberías" — Coverage for water damage including leaks, floods, and pipe failures. Without this, when your upstairs neighbor's washing machine floods your apartment, your insurance pays nothing.

You hire a contractor to renovate your bathroom. He drills through a water pipe, flooding your downstairs neighbor's apartment. €15,000 in damages. Who pays?

If your property insurance doesn't include responsabilidad civil — liability coverage — you pay out of pocket. Liability insurance covers damage you or your contractors cause to neighboring properties, injuries that occur on your property, and legal defense if you're sued. Typical coverage: €150,000-300,000 per incident. Cost: usually included in property insurance as a rider, adds €50-100/year.

Before hiring any contractor for significant work, ask: "¿Tiene seguro de responsabilidad civil vigente?" — Do you have current liability insurance? If no or if they hesitate, walk away.

Solo remote executive: Health mid-range €180/month plus contents insurance €20/month equals €200/month total or €2,400/year.

Property owner: Health mid-range €180/month plus buildings, contents, and liability €60/month equals €240/month total or €2,880/year.

Family with two adults and two kids: Health mid-range family plan €550/month plus buildings, contents, and liability €80/month equals €630/month total or €7,560/year.

These are prices for actual coverage, not bare-minimum policies designed to deny every claim.

Pull out your current policies—all of them. Read the exclusions section titled "Exclusiones" or "Lo que no cubre esta póliza" — What this policy doesn't cover. Check specifically for water damage coverage on health and property policies, pre-existing condition waiting periods on health insurance, liability limits on property insurance, and deductibles (franquicia) showing the amount you pay before insurance activates.

If you find gaps, get quotes from Sanitas (+34 902 102 400), Adeslas (+34 900 12 33 45), or DKV (+34 944 157 100) for health insurance. For property insurance, contact Mapfre (+34 952 77 62 00), AXA (+34 910 60 77 25), or Línea Directa (+34 902 123 234).

Ask the specific question: "Si tengo [specific scenario], ¿esto está cubierto o excluido?" — If I have [specific scenario], is this covered or excluded? Don't accept vague answers. Get coverage confirmed in writing in the policy document.

"¿Cubre daños por agua?" — Does it cover water damage? "¿Cuál es la franquicia?" — What's the deductible? "¿Las enfermedades preexistentes están cubiertas?" — Are pre-existing conditions covered?

Insurance in Spain costs less than in the UK and, definitely, the US equivalents. €200/month for comprehensive health insurance versus €400-600/month in the US. Property insurance €500-800/year versus €1,500-2,500/year in the coastal UK.

The system works if you buy the right coverage and read the exclusions. The companies are legitimate, regulated, and generally pay valid claims. But they're still insurance companies. They make money by denying claims whenever policy language gives them an out.

Your job is to buy policies with minimal exclusions and understand exactly where the gaps are before you need to file a claim. Insurance is the safety net beneath your safety net. Buy it properly, read the fine print, and you're protected. Buy it cheaply, ignore the exclusions, and you're just paying monthly fees for coverage that evaporates the moment you need it.

Nearly there — A and the well-insured Waypoint Sur team

With Waypoint Sur, you can always expect plain-English guidance to land, settle, and thrive on the Costa del Sol—work, schools, healthcare, visas, taxes, home, and daily life.  
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