misssparkly

I will be moving to Italy next month and have two specific questions.

Health care: What is the quality of health care compared to NHS and do many people pay for additional private health insurance?

Shipping: Would you recommend any shipping companies from the UK for a small-scale move... I am moving my personal effects from 1 large bedroom out but not furniture.

Thank you!

Lorna at Vicenza

Hi and welcome to the forum.

To answer one of your questions :

I personally have no problems with the academic quality of health care where I live. I was once in hospital for 5 days with suspected appendicitis and I have had two kids here.

The bedside manner is virtually non existant on the hospital wards though and many a doctor will walk through the ward, look at people's charts and not once will stop to say good morning or ask if you are feeling better. There are no curtains around any of the hospital beds either so privacy is not always guaranteed. It's something that you have to put up with.

There are of course chattier doctors and nurses. I had my kids in 2 different hospitals. The first one had lovely nurses and a very relaxed manner on the maternity ward and I stayed there for 3 days.
The second one had nazi like nursery staff and I signed myself out the day after having my baby.

I have lived in 2 towns so when I moved I changed my GP too. I have to say that both times I have had fantastic doctors. One thing about the doctors here is that if they have the slightest doubt they will immediately fill out the paperwork to send you for blood tests or to see a specialist. They don't tell you to try a few different things before getting to that stage. In fact they are quite big on blood tests here. I don't like the first come first served method they have of getting to see your GP and hanging about in the waiting room but I have learnt to go at the last minute of opening hours or to take a book with me.

Anyway - all this is irrelevant as unless you have a job with an Italian employer (or you are a pensioner) you will not be elligble for the Italian national health card. You will be expected to have your own private health insurance.

A & E cannot turn you away so in case of accident you will be seen to and treated but not much else.

Lorna at Vicenza

This thread might give you some ideas about shipping :

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=SHIPPING

misssparkly

Thank you Lorna. I have a 2 year contract at an Italian school so will be eligible for health care.

My question is... when the doctor sends you for a blood test or to see a specialist, is that where the costs are involved? I've read that only basic doctor and hospital care is covered and anything extra I will need to pay for? I would like to know if there are costs involved if it is better to have insurance.

As for the bedside manner, I've not seen that much better in UK at times!

Thanks again for your reply.

Lorna at Vicenza

Blood tests vary in price depending on what is specifically being looked for.

It's not usually huge sums of money though for average things like white blood cell counts - cholesterol etc..

If a GP refers you to a specialist and you see one through the health system at the local hospital - the price for a visit is 18.95 Euro. It's a standard price.
Not sure if this price varies from region to region though.

When the GP gives you the piece of paper to take to the booking section at the local health office or hospital - it will also have a ticked box on it to say whether the visit is urgent .... semi-urgent or not urgent. Depending on what box is ticked determines how quickly you will get an appointment.

It also depends on which specialist it is and how many people are waiting for appointments.

I went in December last year to get an opticians appointment for my son - the earliest appointment they could give me was for this July. He went last week. 18.95 euro.

When I needed to book an appointment with a surgeon to check out a lump in my armpit I got an appointment within the month. 18.95 Euro.
I had the lump removed a week later ........ the local anesthetic surgery cost me nothing. Having the stitches removed a week later cost me nothing. Dressings and antiseptic and pain killers were given to me by the surgeon. I did have to pay for the lab tests done on the removed lump though - 29.25 euro.

If you are a hospital patient you don't pay for anything - at least when I had that appendicitis scare I had an ECG and all sorts in case they needed to operate and I never paid a thing for anything.

You can of course book privately with most specialists and you can pay upwards of 100 euro for that.

Pap tests are free. (sorry - smear tests)

You should note that medicines are not free and are not prescription price based. You don't pay a standard fee for a prescription. You pay the cost of the medicine so sometimes it could be 3 euro - sometimes it could be 16 euro. It depends on the medicine. The pill is not free either but costs little.
There are exemptions for certain people or medications like insulin etc and medications that are life saving and need to be taken daily.

There are 4 of us in the house and we have never had any extra kind of coverage - we are all pretty robust as well and so far have not needed loads of tests, check-ups or medication - fingers crossed.

Most Italians are hypochondriacs and are always at the doctors or the chemist. I only go if I feel it is absolutely necessary.

The really BIG cost here is the bloody dentist. There are hospital based dentists too with a fixed national health price list but nobody seems to trust them.

Hope that helps.

37100

Level of care and charges vary from region to region but don't worry they are not much. Prescription charges for medicines are usually cheaper than the u.k. Hospital visits and test come in at €36 for us. There is a limit to the number of tests per €36's but off of the top of my head, I can't remember how many. Emergencies are free, or course but here in Verona you'll be sent the ticket charges if it turns out you could have waited to see a G.P.
Our hospitals are great with 2/3 bedded aircon rooms but you do have to learn to chase the the doctor and pester him if you have questions. Information isn't forthcoming. I always ask for the records after our (too many) stays. After outpatient visits and blood tests you are given the results and have to take them with you on any further visits.
Having recently had a very bad experience with the u.k. health care with my mum I think we do very well though aftercare is very lacking.

Lorna at Vicenza

I've just come across this ........

http://www.asl.como.it/pdf/Come_fare...O_SOCCORSO.pdf

It is a seriously bad translation. The email of the company that did the translation is there for all to see and I am sorely tempted to write and ask them what other translations they do considering the fact that they don't even know what a plural is or when it is not needed.

misssparkly

I am very healthy and robust as well, so hopefully a visit to doctor or hospital would also be an emergency!

Thank you for your very practical advice on costs etc, exactly what I needed to know. I now think private health insurance would not be of great benefit to me.

Just need to look for a life insurance policy for worst case scenarios now!

Grazie!

Lorna at Vicenza

Put my name down as one of the beneficiaries then please.

I'm just a poor girl

P.S. It helps to bring as many cheap packets of paracetamol, ibuprofen, Dettol, Beechams or whatever you like best from the cheap shops.

I am always nipping in and out of Superdrug and Savers and other places to pick up a couple of 16p packets of tablets. You won't get anything for 16p here !

Bring loads and loads of tea-bags as well if you're a tea drinker.

misssparkly

Haha... other people have already put themselves on that list! Such a lovely plea

I am a tea drinker but I cannot imagine tea tasting like it does at home! What about salt n vinegar crisps... they do not exist in France and are my fav

Just trying to organise shipping. Found a great company 'Simpsons Removal and Storage' with reasonable prices and a fantastic web site. But they will only deliver during office hours, which means I have to work out how to get 3 30kg boxes from school to apartment with no car... fun!

Lorna at Vicenza

No salt n' vinegar here.

My tea tastes fine here - with fresh milk though. I can taste that awful long life UHT stuff from a mile away.

Good news about the shipping company. Ask one of the teachers or the students to give you a lift with the boxes.

misssparkly

No salt v vinegar maybe this will be the time i finally give up crisps and lose a couple of pounds haha!!

do you or know anyone who rents an apartment? Me and my friend are wondering what the 200 euros a month condo fees include? and then what bills are left to pay?

also... how expensive is broadband?

Lorna at Vicenza

Oh mamma mia - your questions are getting more and more difficult to answer

Apartment fees or "spese condominiale" of 200 euros sounds like a heck of a lot so I can only presume that water or heating bills are included.

Some "blocks of flats" for want of a better word have lighter monthly expenses. These might generally include a cleaner for the stairs and corridors, and an administration service (where you complain about services - unruly neighbours - and things like communal gardens or washing lines might be discusssed, implemented or cancelled) - it sometimes includes the upkeep and maintenance of a lift if there is one. It includes a kind of door keeper if there is one - the English for that eludes me now - and in some blocks of flats it includes the central heating if this is communal and not "autonomo" .

Lots of folks do not want communal heating as when it gets turned on and off is not decided by you. Autonomo is better as you turn your own thermostat on inside your own flat when you want and at what temperature. You pay for exactly what you use.

Not trying to be nosey here but is the flat connected to the school you will be working for? Will the school be your landlord?

Is it a flat that you and a friend have found by yourselves?

You should find out what is included in the 200 euro as you wouldn't want any nasty surprises.

If the 200 is just for a cleaner - lift maintenance - administrator, 200 seems like a lot to me....even considering the fact that Como might be more 'rich' than where I am.

Do you know how many flats in the block ?

Lorna at Vicenza

Forgot to add ..... I get broadband through Telecom Italia and I pay 19 euro or 19.99 euro per month.

It used to be closer to 40 euro until I rang them and told them to give me a better deal or I would go with the competition. They told me I could halve the amount but it would also halve my connection speed.

I went for the cheaper option and I have not personally noticed a blind bit of difference in connection speeds or download speeds and I use my PC for work too.

There might be cheaper options out there now but I cannot be bothered to read through all the blurb and change all my settings and email and such. I know lots of cheap offers advertised seem great until you read the small print and realise that it is only for the first 2 months or whatever and then whoosh ........ prices change.

37100

I've got that telecom deal too. Every time they phone and offer 20 mega just ask them if they can guarantee it. They can't. We've always gone for the cheaper option because we realised years ago that they eventually upgrade you for free because it's easier for them.
I buy paracetamol in the u.k too but since Auchan have started stocking it I get them to work out the cheapest per tablet (usually have to do it myself because maths for some really is an opinion) and the cost is similar.
Salt and vinegar are my favourite crisps but at least you can buy flavoured crisps now. Not that I like any other flavour.
As Lorna say's, you need to find out what the condo fees cover. We once lived in a block with lift, garden and concierge and they were a heck of a lot even before heating.
There are others from Como on here who can offer accomodation advice but it's holiday time and they could be away.