Living the GOOD LIFE for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!
HEALTHCARE
IN ITALY!
European healthcare is nationalized, including healthcare for Italians. The World Health Organization listed Italy as Number 2 in the world for the quality of its healthcare services. However, you must be a legalized resident to receive healthcare in Italy’s medical facilities.
When you become a legal resident of Italy, you can apply for your ID card admitting you to their health plan (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale), covering you for hospital and medical costs as well as prescriptions.
If you are visiting Italy and are not a resident or a citizen, you are required to carry private healthcare insurance that will cover your stay, and you must register that information at the nearest post office or police station within eight (8) days of arriving in Italy. If you intend to apply for a “permit to stay” and do not carry private health insurance, you will be denied your permission to stay.
Many Italians also carry a secondary insurance allowing them an “upgrade” from the basic nationalized health coverage. It also eliminates the wait often associated with seeing a doctor while on the national health plan. There is a cost for this, but the benefits are numerous, including admittance to hospitals that rival the Ritz Carlton Hotel!
If you are an EU citizen, be sure to carry with you your specific Health Cover form (E111) when you travel to Italy. That form can be obtained at your local physician’s office, and will allow you to receive free healthcare while in Italy. If you are Australian, Italy has a reciprocal healthcare arrangement with your country.
Pharmacies in Italy are denoted by a green cross over the exterior of their storefronts. Most Italian pharmacists are able to give you advice, suggest what medicine you should be taking for a minor ailment, and also speak passable English.