general healthcare

[manning]

Hi

I have only utilsed the forum once before, shame on me as to think I have not tried to keep in touch with all those lovely people who share my great passion ITALY.

To set the scene I am just turned 50 and my husband is 64 we are both about to join the great new retired generation and are thinking of moving to Italy permanently. We will therefore be retired expats with no income in Italy apart from our pensions. It is our intention to become residents of the country.

The only dificulty we are finding is with the rights and wrongs of healthcare and what we will be entitled to as EU citizens as we have no private healthcare and quite frankly could not afford it. It has also come to our attention from the BBC news programme last week that France is starting to kick off about paying for the treatment of the English expats (trust the French) so we are wondering how the Italians are with this.

My husband is diabetic type 2 and on medication. He also has high blood pressure and cholesterol and is taking medication for those and a heart condition. I believe I am right in thinking the diabetic treament would still be honored free of charge but what about prescriptions as being over 60 in the UK this is obviously free of charge.

If anyone who has experience of this situation could give us some guidance please it would be appreciated.

Sue Manning

[MargaretM]

Best wait until at least one of you is of state pension age. We are doing the same thing at the moment. We are here with my 79 year old mother, and DWP tell us that as she is already in receipt of a state pension she can get cover for as long as she lives in Italy. Because we are not of state pension age, being 55 and 60, we can only get cover for 2.5 years, and will then have to either take out Private Health Insurance, or pay into the Italian state system.

Good thing is hubby is 60, and so qualifies for the winter fuel allowance, as he lives in England, officially, until the end of this month. There is another thread about this already on the forum. No good at inserting links, sure someone else will do it for me.

[Licciana]

Originally Posted by MargaretM

Best wait until at least one of you is of state pension age.

I'm confused. The pension age in the UK is 60 (and as far as I can find on the net, it's 57 in Italy) so in what way does either your husband (at 60) or Manning's (at 64) not qualify?

[MargaretM]

Originally Posted by Licciana

I'm confused. The pension age in the UK is 60 (and as far as I can find on the net, it's 57 in Italy) so in what way does either your husband (at 60) or Manning's (at 64) not qualify?

The pension age in the UK is 65 for men, 60 for women. The age for women is being phased over the next few years, and will eventually be 65, as for men.

[Technically Blonde]

There is conflicting information on this. UK told us that one of you has to be in receipt of a State Pension to qualify for national health care in Italy. But the British Embassy in Naples contacted the Italian Health Ministry on our behalf and was told that all EU citizens are entitled to full national health care. By dint of much argument with AUSL we managed to get our Libretto Sanitario and now have the Tessera Sanitaria even though neither us is of UK pension age and won't be for a while! The Libretto has no expiry date on it, the Tessera shows an expiry date of 2012 ....... we will have to wait and see what happens then.

[Angie and Robert]

It is confusing. Perhaps whilst you are entitled to heath care, it is the funding of this that is the key issue.We are both below retirement age but were able to be funded by way of our NI contributions for 2.5 years, this was applied for prior to leaving UK, after that period there is a lump sum payable (350e per year?) up until retirement age. Some drugs are free, certainly those for cronic illness, like diabetes and asthma.And as I have said before as we were no longer resident in the UK, any treatment other than emergency had to be paid for should we return for holidays.
This is my understanding but the EU citizenship does rather put this into a grey area, does any member have a definative answer?
A

[manning]

Well so far it seems as though the subject is as grey as I thought it was.

Thank you all for your help so far, I was given the impression that my husband will be entitled to Italian healthcare the same as the Italians at retirement what ever that may mean. Also as his spouse I am entitled to the same. However if anything happens to my husband before i reach retirement age than I would have to pay for my healthcare.

Whether any or all or this is true I am not sure. What treatments the Italians receive free or have to pay for I dont know.

One thing I do know for sure is I am not keen to embark on this adventure until I have some definate answers.

Thank you again

[MargaretM]

Originally Posted by Technically Blonde

There is conflicting information on this. UK told us that one of you has to be in receipt of a State Pension to qualify for national health care in Italy. But the British Embassy in Naples contacted the Italian Health Ministry on our behalf and was told that all EU citizens are entitled to full national health care. By dint of much argument with AUSL we managed to get our Libretto Sanitario and now have the Tessera Sanitaria even though neither us is of UK pension age and won't be for a while! The Libretto has no expiry date on it, the Tessera shows an expiry date of 2012 ....... we will have to wait and see what happens then.

Did you manage the argument yourself, or did you have an Italian with you? I know your Italian is much better than mine - I definitely couldn't do the arguing. I am sure many of us would be extremely grateful if you had any tips you were willing to share.

Also, does paying into the Italian tax system have anything to do with it?

[NickZ]

Originally Posted by MargaretM

Also, does paying into the Italian tax system have anything to do with it?

If you're paying into the Italian tax system then you should be no different then any other Italian resident.

[Technically Blonde]

We had an italian speaker with us - she just persevered until the AUSL man got fed up with her and gave us our liberettos.

Paying into the Italian tax system did not make any difference what so ever according to AUSL. We pay tax on UK pension and investment income here in Italy but that is not enough. You have to be in employment or self employed and be paying whatever the equivalent of UK National Insurance Contributions are.