Finding a country with good healthcare was a top priority for my family after we decided to leave the United States back in 2022. While we had access to good healthcare in the US, it was tied to our employment and was still expensive. And honestly, the healthcare kinda sucked. It always felt transactional with doctors and focused on masking symptoms vs dealing with root problems.
Part of the visa application process for Portugal was getting private health insurance, with the knowledge that once we moved and became temporary residents we could use the public healthcare system there.
Now, in 2025, I can say a bit more about the healthcare system in Portugal – because we’ve used it, a lot!
Private Insurance Premiums
We have private medical and dental insurance through Allianz Saudé. The plan covers four people and is their mid-tier plan:
- Allianz Saudé Medical
- 2025: 2.582 €
- 2024: 2.439,20 €
- 2023: 2,100 €
- Allianz Saudé Dental
- 2025: 223.50 €
- 2024: 201,00 €
- 2023: 160 €
The above are ANNUAL premiums. Not monthly premiums.
For an American, these prices are unheard of. In Washington, I’d expect to pay that annual premium on a monthly basis for a good plan on the ACA.
Care Costs
Unfortunately, we’ve had to use the private hospitals quite a bit since 2022. Here are a few examples of the care we received and what we paid for it…
- 19 € for a doctor’s visit is (maybe 40 € for some specialists)
- 140 € for a full slate of ultrasounds, mammograms, and CT scans each year, as preventative medicine (IMAGINE THAT!)
- 1.700 € for a four night stay in pediatric intensive care after a really bad asthma attack due to illness
- 2.800 € for outpatient orthopedic procedure on lumbar spine (ozone injections and radio frequency treatment) – because this was considered a pre-existing condition, Allianz didn’t cover it but I did get a negotiated priced with the hospital.
- 250 € for outpatient orthopedic procedure on cervical spine (ozone injections and radio frequency treatment) – this was same procedure as the lumbar, but because it was NOT a pre-existing condition, Allianz covered it almost completely
- 500 € for outpatient surgery to fix varicose veins in both legs
- 40 € for regular dental cleaning and x-rays, our dentist doesn’t accept insurance so this is 100% out-of-pocket
- 40 € for urgent care visits
- And so so so many examples of cheaper prescription drugs: 3 € for Ventolin inhalers, 10 € for an EpiPen, 10 € for Ozempic, 1,20 € for antibiotics…the list goes on and on
Pre-Existing Conditions
You don’t have any. When you apply for private insurance, you are in perfect health. Once you have your insurance plan, you are in perfect health during their waiting/blackout period. That’s all.
Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS)
The Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS) is the the Portuguese National Health Service, https://www.sns.gov.pt/. You can do all sorts of cool stuff on their website and mobile app but first you need to get your SNS/Utente number (health number). It’s helpful to get your SNS before you get your resident card so that it can be included on your card for easy access when using medical services. Once you have your SNS number, any medical information from any medical facility that is attached to your SNS will be accessible in the network and on the SNS website and mobile app. Which means that I can pick up my (or my families’) prescriptions at any pharmacy, I can download my kids vaccination records, I can get my blood analysis report, and so much more.
Public Healthcare System
There is a robust public healthcare system available to all, however, we haven’t used it yet. The advice we’ve received is that the public hospitals and clinics are best for serious emergencies (e.g. heart attacks) and long-term chronic care (e.g. cancer treatments).
