health cover in Europe

[jennabet]

You must prove to the Comune that you're a resident and not just a tourist passing through so whatever that takes is what you need to do.

[garypeg]

ok, thanks!

[garypeg]

Me again. When you went to get your health card, what documents aside from the passport did you need? Rental contract for example? And how long did it take to get the card? Thanks for being so helpful! Oh, now I have the Italian passport. Finally.

[jennabet]

In order to apply at ASL for health coverage, you need to present a receipt from the Comune indicating you have already applied for residence and whatever proof of ID you have, i.e., Italian passport. In some cases, if you're retired, the Comune may give you this receipt before your ID card has been issued.

[garypeg]

What does the Commune require? Since I am retired then maybe this would go quickly. I assume they need something showing your address. Or maybe just a statement from you as to your address and your passport.

[garypeg]

and thanks for the reply!

Oh I read above and you already answered that, basically. Sorry.

[jennabet]

Gary, you cannot have Italian healthcare without being a permanent resident of Italy. You need to decide where in Italy you're going to live and either buy a home or take a long-term rental. Then you must take either your purchase contract or your rental agreement to the authorities in the Comune of that town and register your residency and present whatever additional documentation they ask for (in your case, an Italian passport and letter from your consulate). At that point, if you're retired, the Comune should give you a receipt for residency that you can take immediately to ASL to apply for healthcare. If you're not yet retired, you may have to wait until the Comune issues you an ID card before you can apply for healthcare. Bottom line. Italian citizens who are not residents of Italy cannot benefit from Italian healthcare.

[garypeg]

Right, that's essentially what you said earlier. Sorry I forgot. We are going there in the next few months so we will deal with it then.

[garypeg]

But it seems to be the lease. So if the landlord keeps the utilities in his/her name, presumably that would not be an issue. Aftr all some people would not have utilities in their name, they may be lving with friends or family. I suppose that is why having a lease would be problematic, I should think. Suppose I wanted to live with long lost relatives. Then I suppose you could fabricate some sort of lease with the long lost relative. To change your address in the AIRE, I do not think, is such a formal process. But we are getting quite formal about some things in the US- driver's liscenses for instance. Anyway we will go through the hoops and I will report back. Thanks again.

[jennabet]

If you don't have a lease because you live with friends or family, your friends or family must report your living situation to the Carabinieri. If you're staying in Italy longer than three months, the Carabinieri will give the comune permission to issue you a residence receipt so you can apply for health care. You cannot apply for residence or health care if you don't intend to stay longer than three months.

[jennabet]

Not having utilities in your own name is quite common in Italy. Some landlords prefer not to have it changed over. In this case, the bills will arrive at your address in your land-lord's name and you pay the bills. Utility bills do not determine the lease. Only a registered rental contract determines a lease.

[garypeg]

thanks! You are so helpful!

[carinthiangirl]

"Everyone permanently resident in the European Union is covered under the national healthcare systems."

not correct! not everybody is automatically insured! one must have payed a certain time into the health care system in order to have permission for it!
so it can be covered either by working or as a pensioner(both automatically insured) or unemployment benefit entitlement or other social eligibility, otherwise you just have to pay yourself a monthly deposit into the health system in order to obtain power.

If you have a card of an EU country so you can use by travelling in other EU countries. sometimes can be that in some countries is to pay directly at a medicine doctor or hospital and you can retrieve then later in the country where the card was issued.
to see at the backside of health-care-card:
Foreign health insurance certificate replacement
The back of the e-card is designed as a "European Health Insurance Card" (EHIC) and within the EU Member States, EEA countries and Switzerland valid. This eliminates the issue of the old "holiday sickness certificates".
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verordnung ... r._1408/71

When you live permanently then in another EU-country you must look there for the health-care-card and you have same procedure. It's always after primary residence.

And the systems are often different in different countries - some ways to offices until to get the health card in hands.

[jennabet]

Carinthiangirl, you didn't mention where in the European Union you live but what you're saying about national health care does not work that way in Italy. In Italy, all citizens and legal residents are covered, whether or not they have paid into the system but non citizen residents are required to pay a yearly fee for healthcare.

[garypeg]

The link she supplied take you to a wiki in German, if that's any indication of her origin. It covers or seems to cover anyway provisions for cross border pension benefits including health. I've heard her arguments before.

From what I can tell once in Italy you can register for health benefits regardless of previous contribution but that coverage does not appear to be transferable outside Italy if you have not contributed. However I have been told the contrary by an Italian government worker that all you have to do is be legally resident in an EU country and have an Italian passport. Most opinions including yours are to the contrary. See for example http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/temi/p ... u=italiani

None of the categories cover someone who has not contributed or married to or family member of someone who has but does not exclude the possibility entirely.

If anyone has links to share please do so.