GP access in Italy
#33
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 404
Re: GP access in Italy
But on the other hand medicines for chronic illness or for long term reduction/prevention of risk can be free on prescription if you are enrolled in the national health system. There's no prescription charge like there is the UK. I think that the justification is that if people don't take medicine because of the cost and then end up in hospital it'll be more expensive for the state in the long run.
Seems to me to be a pretty sensible approach. Better than the UK.
Or a doctor can give a private prescription which you do pay for. So for example the high cholesterol and high blood pressure tablets I have to take are normally free. But recently because of a dispute about my healthcare status I have had to pay...yet even then the price was cheaper than the cost of prescription charges in the UK.
Seems to me to be a pretty sensible approach. Better than the UK.
Or a doctor can give a private prescription which you do pay for. So for example the high cholesterol and high blood pressure tablets I have to take are normally free. But recently because of a dispute about my healthcare status I have had to pay...yet even then the price was cheaper than the cost of prescription charges in the UK.
#34
#36
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 35
#37
Re: GP access in Italy
The cost is based on your income.
Il contributo corrisponde al 7,5% del reddito complessivo, per un reddito fino a 20.658,27 €; l’aliquota è pari al 4%, sugli importi eccedenti a 20.658,27 € fino al limite massimo di 51.645,69 €. In ogni caso, l'importo del versamento dell'iscrizione volontaria non può mai essere inferiore a 387,3.
So if you declare an invome of €30k you have to pay around €2000 per year by my sums.
Il contributo corrisponde al 7,5% del reddito complessivo, per un reddito fino a 20.658,27 €; l’aliquota è pari al 4%, sugli importi eccedenti a 20.658,27 € fino al limite massimo di 51.645,69 €. In ogni caso, l'importo del versamento dell'iscrizione volontaria non può mai essere inferiore a 387,3.
So if you declare an invome of €30k you have to pay around €2000 per year by my sums.
#39
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 342
Re: GP access in Italy
Just picking up on a few points from this thread:
1. Good point about prescription charges in Scotland and Wales. Thanks to those of you who pointed that out.
2. This idea that's been expressed above that you just have to declare preexisting health conditions to your insurer and they will then cover the cost of prescriptions seems a little counterintuitive to me (I'm talking about private insurance here). I'd advise people to check this carefully. I never worked in health insurance (only life/motor and household insurance) but it's a general principle that insurance is for risks not certainties. It's like betting. And if you know there's a definite fixed cost that will always be incurred then you can't insure that (there's no risk). For example I imagine that for me they'd calculate the increased risk because I have high blood pressure, and offer insurance at an increased premium for things like heart disease because those things aren't certain, but not cover the cost of the blood pressure tablets that I take every day...if they did it would be "pound swapping" . The insurance would increase by a premium exactly equivalent to the cost of the medication (plus their admin fees)... and it would be stupid if I paid that... it'd be cheaper to just pay the pharmacist directly
1. Good point about prescription charges in Scotland and Wales. Thanks to those of you who pointed that out.
2. This idea that's been expressed above that you just have to declare preexisting health conditions to your insurer and they will then cover the cost of prescriptions seems a little counterintuitive to me (I'm talking about private insurance here). I'd advise people to check this carefully. I never worked in health insurance (only life/motor and household insurance) but it's a general principle that insurance is for risks not certainties. It's like betting. And if you know there's a definite fixed cost that will always be incurred then you can't insure that (there's no risk). For example I imagine that for me they'd calculate the increased risk because I have high blood pressure, and offer insurance at an increased premium for things like heart disease because those things aren't certain, but not cover the cost of the blood pressure tablets that I take every day...if they did it would be "pound swapping" . The insurance would increase by a premium exactly equivalent to the cost of the medication (plus their admin fees)... and it would be stupid if I paid that... it'd be cheaper to just pay the pharmacist directly
#40
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 35
Re: GP access in Italy
On an income of 30k it would cost 2k to enter the SSN. Wouldn't a private insurance be cheaper than that anyway?
7% does seem a bit steep particularly if you live in a region where SSN isn't great and you end up needing private healthcare anyway.
7% does seem a bit steep particularly if you live in a region where SSN isn't great and you end up needing private healthcare anyway.
#41
Re: GP access in Italy
Last edited by philat98; Aug 28th 2022 at 5:53 pm.
#42
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 35
Re: GP access in Italy
A lot of Italians go private to jump the public waiting list. Where I live there are many private medical studios doing all sorts of things. Ten minutes with a private consultant costs €100+ so healthcare isnt cheap.. You just have to read the fine print on the insurance policy. With SSN if you live in Palermo you can get specialist treatment in Milan, Rome or wherever.
What are waiting lists like where you live?
#43