Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Hi everybody,

I have the European Health card for medical emergencies, but as I live in Italy full time and also do sports such as rock climbing, I wondered if it was worth getting some kind of medical insurance, as I know the card doesn't always cover all health care.

I've tried to look on the internet but it is so confusing to find coverage, especially for expats, so far I have only found insurance for small trips!

Any advice would be great

Thanks

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Hi, do you mind if I ask a couple of questions?

Have you got residency? How did you get that without already having health coverage?

You're not emplyed here?


Try the Post Office. They offer a health insurance policy but I'm not sure if it's just the big ones or all of them.

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

We're about to put our house in the UK on the market to live full time in Italy. I took early retirement last week and my OH finishes at end of next month. We're too young for state pensions but will need to access a Dr and prescriptions once in Italy. Will we be able to pay into the Italian NHS rather than having private health insurance? Having worked in the British NHS for 35 years I would much rather be part of the state system than pay for private insurance?

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

fliss

Folks on here know way more about these things than me (I'm not in Italy) on both the health insurance and finance fronts, and am also aware that this may be going a bit off topic (not aiming to derail it)

but did I imagine it or did someone sell their house in the UK, THEN move to Italy pronto so that they effectively became tax resident for that year and then get stung for the "income" falling in that year?

Others will know about this issue or non issue (modicasa?) and I stress that I'm not saying anything is the case.

Just asking.

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Depending where you retire to, your region may allow you to take out 'assicurazione voluntaria' which is a sort of state medical insurance. The problem is that some regions only allow it for nonEU citizens which creates all sorts of problems. If you are not in a region that will permit it, you have no choice other than to go private either for the first 5 years or until you reach state pension age.

Sunnysider - yes, techincally its possible. Everyone wants your money - but you can only be tax resident in one country at a time, so if its not one its the other. You just have to decide which tax office is the most aggressive...

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Thanks Modicasa. We've not decided an exact location yet - are looking in Le Marche and Abruzzo next week, so something to be considered.

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Thanks for your reply modicasa but i thought that you weren't necessarily at liberty to choose your tax residence - ie: If you were in Italy for more than 6 months in the tax year you are automatically deemed to be tax resident there.

Thanks for your expertise.

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Only a couple of regions allow you to buy into the health system. Sicily, certainly. Le Marche & Abruzzo, I don't know, but I'll have a look to see if there is anything.

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Many thanks. That would be very helpful. I'm also looking from this end.

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Yes, but it depends which six months. Italian tax year is solar - Jan to December, UK is April to April - so it does depend when you move as to which country claims your tax for that year..

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Thanks modicasa.

Another ignorant question (tho I did know about the different tax years).

Looking from outside, I'm bemused (or more) by this apparent need for a Brit (EU citizen) to take out private health care in Italy.

Wouldn't an Italian citizen moving to the UK (London in particular is stuffed with young Italian economic refugees) have free access to the UK health service?

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

It's all here:
Come funziona l’assistenza sanitaria per i cittadini europei? - Stranieri in Italia

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Yes, absolutely, as well as just about anybody else, even if one is from the planet Klingon, ( outer ellipse of Alpha Centaury ).:sneaky:

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

Thanks for the link gioppino

Have given it a quick read.

If I've read it properly in my quick scan, if I move to Italy but don't work (I would be living with but not married to an Italian citizen and a fat chance of work in Italy's stitched up economy) I won't have access to the state health service? Not even if continuing to pay my UK (part of EU) national insurance stamp, nor be able to contribute to Italian social security stamp as a continuation of all my years of UK contributions?

But have to make private provision?

But Italians have free access to UK system through common EU rights?

Apologies if I've read it all too quickly and have also made use of google translate.

Re: Medical insurance for expat in Italy
 

And the rules about NHS entitlement in England are here:

Am I entitled to NHS treatment when I move to England? - Health questions - NHS Choices

The public service ethic is still strong among health workers and many UK hospitals and GPs are resistant to being expected to act as gate-keepers to their services or having to make judgements about who and when to charge. The issue came to prominence in the British press recently when the government again proposed that health services and landlords should take responsibility for checking people's immigration status. It was seen as unworkable.