The Fine Print of Health Care in Italy

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If you are considering on immigrating to Italy, then you have a tall order before you. You need to learn the language, culture and economy of this South European country. Another aspect of life in the country, especially for immigrants, is the system of health care in Italy. Overall, the country has very good standards in medical assistance.

Italy as a country spends about a total of 9% of their Gross Domestic Product for health care services. Despite such large investments, there are some aspects of the system of health care in Italy that still needs going over. The country enjoys affordable health care with the best standards of medical assistance. The doctors in the system are highly trained and the hospitals are comparable to many world class medical facilities. Some public hospitals though fare below the standards normally expected by Europeans and Americans.

In order to avoid problems when going into the system of healthcare in Italy, it is best for an immigrant or tourist to be covered by private medical insurance. The coverage is for payments for the cost of hospitalization, surgery and other medical needs of an individual. Having private insurance coverage also helps avoid waiting in long lines and long times for proper medical assistance when the need arises.

The Servizio Sanitario Nazionale is the national healthcare system in the country. The system provides inexpensive and quality medical care to all European citizens in Italy. The menu of services includes in-patient treatments such as tests, medication, surgeries, hospitalization, house calls and specialist care. The system also assumes the costs of drugs, medication, out patient treatments and dental care. In order to avail of these benefits, an individual needs to have insurance coverage as soon as one enters the country.

Employees in the country enjoy the privilege of employer contributions for health care. The process includes going to the Italian health authorities for certification and then referral for registration with a doctor. After registration, a health card and health number would be issued to the individual and would serve as your pass to avail of the benefits provided for in the system of healthcare in Italy. This also applies to tourists visiting Italy as one can make use of the reciprocal health agreements between Italy and your home country. You just need to apply for a Form 111 prior to travel. If not a European citizen, then the individual needs to have private insurance coverage.

Medication is obtained through prescriptions issued by family doctors. Many of these drug dispensaries are family run establishments. Once qualified for state healthcare in Italy, you can have the cost of medication reduced on pills, injections, suppositories and powders. If you are traveling and have regular prescriptions, it is best to have the generic names of the drugs you are taking to be able to purchase the drugs over the counter.

One of the main issues in the Italian health care system is the lack of poor nursing back ups in hospitals. Private hospitals have been able to address this issue but public hospitals have been unable to buck the trend. As for facilities, there is a big disparity between public hospitals compared to the more updated private hospitals.

It is thus recommended that if you are traveling to Italy or permanently residing in this Southern European country to have proper medical insurance coverage. As stated in the Expat Forum, “the best bet for you when you plan to take up residence in the Italian Republic is to register with the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale.”

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

This article has been provided by Jose Marc Castro, the online editor at the Expat Forum.com- the primary online community for expats. The site also provides information and advice on matters such as healthcare in Italy.

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