HEALTH SERVICES AND INSURANCE POLICY
Health: There are no specific health risks associated with travel to Italy.EU citizens who have the appropriate documents  (E111) issued by their health authorities are entitled to national health care treatment.  Italy has no medical program covering  Citizens of other countries and they are advised to take out insurance before their journey to cover possible health care and hospital expenses.
Tourists requiring urgent medical care should go to the nearest hospital emergency room (airports and many train stations also have medical teams and first aid facilities)

Pharmacies are usually open from 9:00 AM to 13:00 AM and from the 04:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Nighttime service is provided on a shift basis.On public holidays only some pharmacies are open ("Farmacia di turno").  The list of open pharmacies is displayed on the doors of all pharmacies.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR WORKERS, PENSIONERS AND FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE E.E.C.

The series of norms that govern relations between different countries in the European Economic Community (E.E.C.) is contained in two regulations: nr. 1408 dated 14.6.71 integrated and modified by the introduction of regulations 2000 and 2001/83 concerning the application of social security norms for wage-and-salary workers and their families and regulation nr.574 dated 21.3.72, integrated and modified by the introduction of regulations 2000 and 2001/83 published in the E.E.C.Official Gazette dated 22.8.83 that establishes the modes of application of the above-mentioned regulation nr. 1408.
The basic principle ratified by article 3 of Regulation 1408 is equality:

"All persons who live in the territories of one of any member State are subject to, and benefit from, all laws and regulations of each member State as if these persons were citizens of that State"

Regulations apply to the following member States: AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, DENMARK, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, IRELAND, ICELAND, LIECHTENSTEIN, LUXEMBURGH, NORWAY, HOLLAND, PORTUGAL, GREAT BRITAIN, SPAIN, SWEDEN and overseas territories: CANARY ISLANDS, GUADALUPE, FRENCH GUAYANA, MARTINIQUE and REUNION.

The E.E.C. set of rules is applicable to both private and public wage-and –salary workers, to self-employed workers, to pensioners or workers who earn from wage-and –salary work or self-employed work, including juridically dependant family members.

PREVIEWED CASES CONCERNING E.E.C. STATES AND RELATIVE APPLICATION FORMS

E/111 E.E.C. citizens with temporary stay permits in Italy;

E/110 Italian international transport workers;

E/110 E.E.C. international transport workers;

E/106 E.E.C. workers employed by foreign companies that own job activities and are resident in Italy;

E/128 E.E.C. citizens that have temporarily moved to Italy for study or work purposes with foreign residence;

E/121 Pensioners or income-earners form E.E.C. countries and families that take up residence in Italy;

E/109 Family members living abroad that have an E.E.C.-member worker employed in Italy;

E/112 E.E.C. citizens that move to Italy for medical treatment and care.


ITALIAN CITIZEN REGISTERED IN AIRE WITH TEMPORARY STAY PERIOD IN ITALY

An Italian citizen who lives in a non-E.E.C country and is registered in AIRE during permanency in Italy can benefit only from urgent hospital care during a period of max. 90 days.


MEDICAL CARE IN THOSE COUNTRIES IN WHICH THERE ARE NO CURRENT AGREEMENTS OR BILATERAL AGREEMENTS

Medical assistance for Italian citizens abroad applies exclusively to work transfer in other States.
This point is ruled by Regulation D.P.R. 618/80 and Decree having the force of law D.L. 317/87 later converted into Law nr.398/87 that integrates the first regulation.
Regulation D.P.R. 618/80 is subsidiary to conventional regulations and is applied in alternative cases in which the applicant does not have one of the previewed "Status" concerning application of these regulations.
The set of rules and regulations concerns:

- Citizens temporarily employed abroad as wage-and-salary workers, having
associative and joint relations with companies or employers, including Ministers
of Cult who carry out activities linked to their relative Ministry;
- Self-employed workers, including professionals who stay for limited activity
periods abroad;
- Students with grants at University and foreign foundations;
- Workers abroad, temporarily unemployed, a condition that must be certified by
the Unemployment Offices in the foreign state;
- Citizens, who are abroad temporarily and receive a State pension or an Italian
Social Security pension;
- Family members subject to above-mentioned points who accompany workers
abroad or remain with workers even for short periods.
- Italian public servants serving abroad, particularly the following categories:
- Italian military personnel serving abroad;
- Permanent or temporary teachers and non- teaching personnel employed in
Italian schools;
- FS (Italian Rail) personnel;
- Consulate office employees;
- Family members of workers included in above-mentioned points.

Medical care is administered indirectly and refund applications must be submitted to consulates and embassies within three months from dates of payment by applicants .

FULFILMENTS
Before going abroad for work, the applicant must request triple copies of an ASL (Medical Care Service) form that must be filled in by the employer and must be sent by the applicant to the same ASL office that shall in turn:
send one of the copies to the Ministry of Health; send a copy to the applicant; file and register a copy for ASL office use.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR NON-E.E.C CITIZEN
Regulation References – Law Nr. 40/98 "Rules and Regulations concerning immigration and Rules and Regulations concerning the state of foreigners" –
Medical care and service measures previewed in law 40/98 indicate two diverse types of foreign citizens
foreign citizens who possess regular entry and stay permits (art. 32), registered or with possibility of registration on SSN (National Medical Service) and are included in one of the under-mentioned categories:
- dependant work;
- self-employed work;
- registration on the Unemployment Office lists;
- or are in Italy for family reasons - political asylum – humanitarian reasons – seeking political asylum – seeking adoption – fostering – seeking citizenship - juridically dependent family members;
- juridically dependent family members.

The above-mentioned categories of foreign citizens who have regular entrance and stay permits (the latter issued by local Police Depts.in Italy), must register at SSN ( National Medical Service) and shall have all rights, and benefit from all medical services as per Italian citizens concerning compulsory medical assistance contributions administered in Italy by the above-mentioned SSN.
The following documents are necessary and must be presented at ASL offices (Local Medical Service), for registration at above-mentioned SSN:

- valid stay permit;
- registration at local Registry office in the municipality of residence;
- statement by employer, if the applicant is a dependant worker;
- Chamber of Commerce certificate and IRPEF (Income Tax) payment slip of the
previous year, if the applicant is a self-employed worker;
- Unemployment Office registration certificate or document certifying state of
unemployment.

Foreign citizens may apply by means of self-declaration in which he/she declares his/her own state concerning income from work, eventual state of unemployment and residence, as an alternative means to presentation of the above-mentioned documents.
The only documents that have to be presented as original documents are stay permits.
Foreign citizens that have regular stay permits issued by the Police Dept. for other reasons to the above-mentioned ones must be covered through voluntary application for insurance (registration to SSN) (against illnesses, accidents at work and maternity reasons) by payment of an annual insurance fee on the basis of real income concerning registration at SSN for one calendar year; this regards the applicant himself and all juridically dependent family members.
Foreign citizens with regular stay permits issued by Police Depts. for study reasons may request voluntary insurance coverage at ASL offices by payment of reduced contribution fee for himself only.
In any case, the following is necessary for registration at ASL:

- certificate of residence;
- self-declaration concerning income received in previous year in the case of
voluntary registration;
- university registration certificate or self-declaration of same or other teaching
institution in the case of stay permits for study reasons.

Foreign citizens not registered at SSN (National Medical Service) (ART. 33)
Services administered to these citizens and same (eg.: tourism, temporary stay) shall be administered by request of the latter who shall have to directly pay for the former according to regional fee tables.


ENTRY AND STAY PERIOD FOR MEDICAL CARE

Foreign citizens who wish to receive non free-of-charge medical care in Italy shall apply for regular visa and relative stay permit, respectively, at the diplomatic office or consulate concerned and at the Police Dept. concerned together with the following documentation:

-. statement issued by the chosen public or legal private medical facility that indicates type of cure and treatment required, date of initial treatment and the supposed end-of-treatment date;
- certificate that proves that a certain sum has been deposited on the basis of the supposed cost of effective treatment required. This security deposit shall be in Euros or USD and shall correspond to 30 % of the total supposed cost of treatment required; this sum shall be in turn paid to the chosen medical facility;
- certified documentation of availability in Italy of sufficient economic resources for the coverage of medical care and treatment, sojourn costs and re-entry into one's country for the applicant himself and any eventual assistant (s)


Disclaimer: All of the information in this page is purely indicative and for that reason we cannot be held responsible for any eventual changes or incorrect information contained within.