PSG2014

Well am I confused !!!???

Having been resident here in Italy for 10 + years, I have on occasion (as has my wife) needed to experience the Italian Healthcare and hospital system, all superb.

All is going swimmingly until a friend told me about their 'S1' card which apparently covers them for healthcare in the UK when they travel there.

This is all new to me (!). Do I need to have this card as a resident of Italy ? Is it new ? If I was to get one, would it affect my Italian Healthcare ?

PSG

daniel_t

I might be wrong, but the logic goes that the NHS in both the UK and Italy operate on a residence-based system.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-fo...ic-area-ca8454 - It seems to suggest that if you're paying national insurance in the UK, and you're not (yet) eligible for free public healthcare in Italy, you can apply for an S1 form to have your healthcare covered when resident in the EU/EEA.

So people can get the S1 in lieu of Italy's EHIC (tessara sanitaria) if they would like to join the Italian NHS (SSN).

PSG2014

Thanks Daniel.....

I find it confusing. We are fully covered already here in Italy (tessera sanitaria - as has been proven over the last 10 yrs) so I'm not sure why on earth I need this S1. UNLESS......it's coverage for health for us whilst in the UK on trips ? It's certainly not clear to me. (but this is not unusual !)

daniel_t

Np PSG! I'm not sure you would need the S1 since you've already got the Italian EHIC, which grants you access to our NHS for at least 90 days until you re-register as a returning Brit.

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https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/hea...ur-healthcare/

The message I get from reading this page is this. Some non-British nationals (i.e. foreign aliens) may be able to apply for an S1 form when they move back to the EU from the UK

- to access free public healthcare in an EU country during their first 90 days; and
- given they've worked in the UK and contributed to our pension pot.


"You'll need to apply for a certificate of entitlement known as an S1 form. S1 forms show that your state healthcare is paid for by the UK if you live in an EU country or Switzerland.If you’re applying for an S1 form in Switzerland, you'll need to satisfy additional nationality criteria to be eligible. You'll only be issued with an S1 in Switzerland if you're a UK national, a Swiss national, an EU citizen, a refugee or a stateless person, or if you're the family member or survivor of someone who has one of these nationalities or statuses.

If you receive both a pension from the country you now live in and your UK State Pension, you cannot get an S1 form. This is because the country you live in will be responsible for your healthcare."

Geordieborn

Best if you think of the UK as just like an EU country (or those non-EU countries that operate within the EU) A form S1 would be needed if an EHIC was not applicable e.g. you are there for more than a short visit. This .GOV link probably can explain it better, but look on it from an Italian resident point of view i.e. they do exactly the same the other way around. In reality you don’t need an S1 if you are coming back to the UK. You technically would need an Italian EHIC if visiting the UK for a short trip, else you could end up being charged if you are unlucky enough to need a hospital visit whilst in the UK. For a permanent return, in reality just need to turn up in the UK saying “I’m back for good”, passport and an address and your in…. Claiming health benefit based on contributions is a different matter.

Listen Very Carefully

An S1 is issued if you are in receipt of the state pension from the UK.AS EU rules (which the UK still follows) state that the country from which you get your state pension(and generally this means the one in which you last worked) is responsible for paying for your health care this means that if you are getting your state pension from the UK the UK is responsible for paying for your health care and should issue you with an S1 which you then register in Italy and also the UK should issue you with a EHIC It therefore follows that if you have a UK state pension and an S1 then you will get care in the UK FOC

PSG2014

Many thanks for all the assistance, I now have in my hands a 2 page document (all kindly filled in UK NHS Business Services Authority).

Next step apparently is to take it to the local Health Office here in Italy. I have no idea what will happen after that !

Thanks again,

PSG

Listen Very Carefully

Make sure you keep copies of the S1 and carry them with you if you go to the UK.Basically what will happen now is that Italy will register your S1 then bill the UK for any medical treatment
The only thing you need to do next is to apply for your EHIC/GHIC from the UK.
Did you get an S1 each ?

C.2s

Hmm ...

I would look at THIS .gov.uk link
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthca...isiting-the-uk

It has a section entitled
"UK nationals who no longer live in the UK"
and says
"If you are a UK national and move to the EU, you should not expect to be able to use NHS services for free when visiting the UK unless you have an EHIC, PRC or S2 to show your healthcare costs are funded by the EU country in which you now live, or another exemption applies. You should take out appropriate travel insurance when visiting the UK, as you would when visiting any other country. Any treatment you may have to pay for will be charged at 150% of the national NHS rate."
​​​​​​

Geordieborn

Yes, absolutely correct, but it does also say:-

C.2s

Yes, you're absolutely right

I didn't cut, copy and paste the whole page from the website because I expected people (who were interested) to read it and see for themselves... but I agree that the bit you added does add clarity.

pugliese

So all of us here as residents before 31st december 2020 don't need the forma and we have free access to the NHS?

Geordieborn

Basically in those circumstances nothing has changed. Technically you need an Italian EH1C for a short trip to the UK, longer then an S1 (Italian) would suffice if you are eligible for such (receipt of certain benefits and/or insurance contributions). The S1 is NOT just for state pension. If you come back for good, any immediate emergency would be A&E, until you get registered with a GP (you need evidence of address in the UK to do this).

To be honest I’d hate to think what would be involved getting an Italian EH1C and/or an S1 for that matter. Just to add to the confusion, I’m sure many here are entitled to or hold a UK S1 by way of having a UK state pension (or other qualifying benefit). This entitles you to Italian healthcare, paid for by the UK.

What is of real importance is asking yourself what do I do if ill whilst visiting the UK. For us we had a house here and were still registered with a GP . If that was not the case then whatever cover we had, we would end up in A&E i.e. private insurance, Italian EH1C or S1.

OR we go to the nearest GP to a relative, with UK passport in hand and blag our way in for treatment….

Listen Very Carefully

The Italian EHIC always used to be issued automatically and was on the back of the Tessera Sanitaria.An Italian S1 is obtained via INPS

C.2s

Well, if you are a UK citizen returning to live in the UK you are automatically entitled to use the NHS. Not just A&E but in all respects. You don't have to have an address. It states this very clearly on both the UK.gov and NHS websites. There's no law that has ever been passed by parliament about the residency requirements of the NHS and therefore the legal situation is established through Common Law. There have been a number of previous cases, and as UK citizens all you need is the 'intention' to be living there, so even if you only have an Airbnb or something like that you can still use the whole of the NHS immediately. Furthermore any person who's say on holiday or working in another part of the country from where they usually live can use a GP in the area they're temporarily in. Also it's worth remembering that there are some people who never have a permanent address, and they're obviously still entitled to use the NHS. It's a common misconception that an address is required, and there's organisations campaigning to try and correct this. Yes, GP surgeries routinely ask for proof of address, but they don't really have the right to insist... it's time to stand up and argue with the GP receptionists... though they are often quite scary!

"Fight the Power!"