European Health Insurance Card Italy - What Are The Benefits?
By presenting the EHIC, which entitles you to receive treatment under the same conditions as people registered with the NHS of your residence country, you are able to obtain healthcare services directly from a public or contracted provider.
This enables you to receive treatment under the same conditions. Please be aware that you will not be able to use your European Health Insurance Card Italyto pay for planned specialized treatment in another country.
This treatment must be authorized in advance by the health-competent structure in your home country.
What Is The EHIC Used For?
The EHIC makes sure that you can use the public health system in the country you are visiting without having to apply to the local health authority first. When you show your EHIC, you will get the same health services as if you had insurance in the country you are visiting.
With the EHIC, you will get health care benefits in kind that are in line with the laws of the country you are visiting. The card gives you the right to medically necessary care, so you won't have to go back to your usual state of residence early to get the care you need.
The EHIC also covers pregnancy and childbirth if the purpose of the trip to another country is not to get care for a chronic or pre-existing condition.
What Does European Health Insurance Card Italy Cover?
Doctors
You can use your valid European Health Insurance Card(EHIC) if the doctor you are seeing is part of the National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale – SSN) or has an agreement with it ("accreditamento").
Monday through Friday, you can go to a general practitioner's office. Surgery times change, but most of the time they are in the morning and afternoon. They aren't open on weekends unless there is an emergency.
In Italy, you can't get your money back for medical bills. When you get back home, you might be able to ask the health insurance fund or service that gave you the EHIC for money back.
Dentists
Dentists in Italy are private practitioners who do not have to accept the EHIC, so you have to pay the full amount billed. With your EHIC, you can get dental care in rare and urgent situations or in clinics inside SSN hospitals that provide urgent dental care. Still, you will have to pay for some of the costs of your care.
Hospital Treatment
Check with the health insurance fund or service that gave you your EHIC before you leave home to see if you can get care in Italy. If possible, they should send you a written confirmation.
Ask the local health authority (the "Azienda sanitaria locale" or "ASL") for a list of hospitals that are part of the SSN or have an agreement with it. Show a valid EHIC at the hospital and make sure they have accepted it before the end of your stay.
Prescriptions
Ask the pharmacist what medicines you can buy without a prescription. In this case, you don't need the EHIC.
For some prescriptions, you only have to pay part of the cost, but for others, you have to pay the full amount. Even if you have an EHIC, you will still have to pay upfront. If you aren't sure, ask a pharmacist.
Always show your EHIC when you ask a doctor who is part of the SSN or has a deal with it to write you a prescription. Also, show it to the pharmacist when you buy medicines that you can only get with a prescription.
In Italy, prescription costs are not paid back. When you get home, talk to your health insurance fund or service about getting paid back. The government does not pay for medicines that can be bought without a prescription.
Ambulance
You may have to pay some or all of the costs for non-emergency patient transport. In Italy, ambulance costs are not paid back. Ask the health insurance fund or service that gave you your EHIC about reimbursement when you get back home.
Air Ambulance
Free in an emergency if the ambulance belongs to SSN or healthcare services that have an agreement with it. For patient transport that isn't an emergency, you may have to pay for all of it.
In Italy, ambulance costs are not paid back. When you get home, ask the health insurance fund/service that issued your EHIC about reimbursement.
Reimbursement
In Italy, no fees are paid back. Whenever you have to pay a fee, which is called a "ticket," you have no right to get your money back. If you have to pay for health care, talk to your health insurance fund/service when you get home about getting reimbursed.
Patient Contribution
You may have to pay a ticket, which is a contribution or individual share, for medicine (ask the pharmacist). A fee will be charged for a doctor's visit that is not an emergency. This is called a "visita occasionale."
Costs depend on what kind of treatment you need and where you live. If you don't stay in the hospital, you may have to pay for emergency care. Ask the health authority in your area for more information.
Dialysis, Oxygen, And Chemotherapy
Check availability a few weeks before your trip to make sure you get the right care and know how much it will cost. Get in touch with the local health authority where you will be staying.
People Also Ask
Do I Need Health Insurance If Traveling To Italy?
If you need a visa to enter Italy or any other Schengen country, you must have travel insurance that covers repatriation and medical costs. You won't get the visa you need to enter Europe unless you can show proof of coverage.
How Do I Get A European Health Insurance Card In Italy?
It is sent automatically to those who should get it (provided that they are entitled to reside in Italy). If you have ever been registered in one of the local authorities (ASL) of the National Health System, you can get an EHIC.
What Happens If You Don't Have An EHIC Card?
You'll need to apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) if you need medical care but don't have your EHIC or GHIC, or if your card was lost or stolen abroad. Overseas Healthcare Services can help you. The NHS Business Services Authority is in charge of this (BSA).
Conclusion
You can get healthcare services directly from a public or contracted provider if you have a European Health Insurance Card in Italy. This card gives you the same rights to care as people who have insurance in the country you are in. You will get the service for free, except for any co-payments.