Italian citizens benefit not only from a great health care system in Italy. They are entitled to access treatments through Europe. That applies also to the family members. Here is how it works.
The Italian health care system
A great thing about Italy is that the state didn’t up to private companies to provide health care. That makes it much easier for residents to find out and obtain health care treatments than in many other countries (European states included).
As an Italian citizen, your right to health care operates once you register your residence in Italy. Once you are registered at the local healthcare office of your area of residence, you are free to choose your treatment in any health care facility in the country (both public and private operating on an agreement with the state).
Their quality varies a lot, but some are absolutely excellent, especially for serious issues. So choose carefully among them and enjoy the feeling that you can obtain the best treatments for free if you will ever need them.
Outside of the scope of the treatment for a disease, preventive exams and diagnostics are not as cheap and efficient. So you may want to combine a private insurance with your public coverage to avoid high costs.
Treatment in other European countries
By becoming an Italian citizen, you automatically obtain a set of rights in most European states which are defined as European Citizenship. Some of the main rights within the package can significantly advance your opportunities for better and more timely health care:
1 – you can access emergency care on free of charge if you are visiting most European countries under the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) system;
2 – provided certain criteria are met, you are entitled under the Cross-Border Directive to request healthcare treatment in most European countries and then receive reimbursement of the cost of the qualifying treatment from the Italian healthcare system.
The EHIC system
Once you are a resident in Italy (or in another European Union member state), you will receive a health care card just like the one in the photo on this article.
This card is called Tessera Sanitaria Europea and it gives you access to emergency health care throughout Europe, for example when you are visiting a country or studying there for a while. They take care of your health problem – big or small, as long as it is urgent – and they get paid by the health care authority of your region of residence in Italy.
Beware: sometimes health care operators may not be cooperative and apply the EHIC system. Like the time I was a young student in The Netherlands and a doctor demanded to be paid in advance for treating my bronchitis. Back then I paid, as I didn’t know my rights, I was alone and feeling quite sick (darn!). Later I found out they should have accepted my card and applied for reimbursement through the EHIC system. I made sure it didn’t happen to me again!
The Cross-Border Directive
The Cross-Border Directive ((2011/24/EU) means that a resident of Italy or of other countries in the European Economic Area (European Union plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland – EEA) has the right to medical treatment in any of the EEA member states.
Each person has the right to be treated on the same basis as they would in their home state.
This scheme covers planned healthcare as opposed to emergency treatment which is usually covered by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) system.
Not all planned healthcare is covered: the Cross-Border Directive gives access to treatment that is not available in a patient’s home country.
It is also called Treatment Abroad System or, in Italy, Assistenza sanitaria transfrontaliera. Provided certain criteria are met, EEA residents are entitled to request healthcare treatment in another EEA country and then receive reimbursement of the cost of the qualifying treatment from their home healthcare system.
That proves each year a life-saving factor for seriously ill patients who obtain proper care that is not available in the home country. But it also is a convenient option for obtaining funded medical care when the waiting list in one country is really too long.
Did you know about your rights?
If you didn’t know about having a right to health care outside of Italy, you are in good company. Only 47% of interviewed people in Europe do, according to a recent survey of the European consumer research organization ANEC. Most people don’t know that they can apply to their national healthcare insurer to be reimbursed for certain planned treatments received abroad.
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Good luck with your Italian citizenship!
More about the rights of dual citizens and their families:
What are the benefits of obtaining Italian dual citizenship?
Free your family from bureaucracy in 5 steps! Italian visa for family members
4 Smart Steps for a Stress-Free Start in Italy
Italian citizenship by marriage. How to cut the waiting time
