My research has led me to the conclusion that it’s best to get private healthcare insurance when out in Italy, even though as a member of the EU I’d be entitled to free treatment on the Italian state health service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale). There can often be long delays and apparently some of the facilities can be inadequate. Even many of the Italians have private health insurance (that’s what sealed the deal for me – I shall be getting private health insurance too).
As with any of these pages – this is my own research so if any of this is wrong, don’t blame me š
- Contact local health authority or local embassies/consulates to find a list of English-speaking doctors in your region.
- Purchase health insuranceĀ (for budgeting purposes, I’ve just got a quote from Bupa International to give me an idea and if I just got the basic, then it came out as Ā£1364 a year, roughly Ā£114 each month):
- Obtain a national health number. In order to receive treatment under the state systems you have to have a national health number which you can get from the local Unita Sanitaria Locale. Apparently you need a Permesso di Soggiorno (although I was under the impression you don’t need that if you’re coming from the EU) and a letter from your employer stating that you’re working for them. Ā If you’re freelance or self-employed (as I think I will be), then you need to register with the INPS office (and no, I don’t know what that is) to get some documentation to take to the local ASL office (nope – don’t know that one either but you can find the addresses of these ASL places in Tuttocita, a supplement that comes with Italian telephone directories).
- Register with a doctor (best to get a recommendation).
http://www.expatsinitaly.com/node/93Ā has some more info on healthcare in Italy.
movetoitaly 