In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=redimp98;86322]Having taken early retirement, and moved to live permanently in Italy, I discover
I am not entitled to free health care, equivalent to the UK nhs, until I have been a resident for 5 years
I am not entitled to use my EHIC card as I am no longer a UK resident, nor on holiday
I cannot afford private medical insurance, and even if I could, the Co. insists that I be a UK resident
Only those claiming the State pension or receiving long-term incapacity benefit can claim free treatment in Italy
The french Govt. has made a ruling that inactive immigrants are not entitled to free health care
.............So what happened to the principle of reciprocity, and more importantly what if I need medical treatment of any kind whilst residing here in Italy during the next few years?[/quote]
Do a search on "British Embassy Naples" & read all the threads. Plenty of people have managed to get their Tessera Sanitaria, it seems to be largely a matter of persistance and being "furto" and waving the appropriate legislation at the officials.
Good luck :yes:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
If you have only very recently early-retired, and have been paying full national insurance in the UK until then, I think that you should be entitled to an E106 which will cover you until January 2010, giving you and your family an entitlement to Italian health cover until that time.
Find out more here:
[url=http://www.dwp.gov.uk/international/sa29/medical_06.asp]DWP - Services and benefits - A to Z - EEA Agreement - Medical services (e)[/url]
[url=http://www.dwp.gov.uk/international/sa29/introduction.asp#inlandrevenue]DWP - Services and benefits - A to Z - EEA Agreement - Introduction[/url]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=redimp98;86322]Having taken early retirement, and moved to live permanently in Italy, I discover.....
I cannot afford private medical insurance, and even if I could, the Co. insists that I be a UK resident
[/quote]
There are a variety of sources for comprehensive expatriate health insurance which do not require you to be a UK resident. The link below is to one of the many brokers who deal in such insurance. It is interesting as it offers a price comparison table for a couple aged 58 and 52, i.e. the age-group in which people might be thinking about early retirement.
[url=http://www.medibroker.com/premium.html]International Health and Medical Insurance Expatriate Cover - Medibroker -[/url]
It looks as if United States providers offer lower rates than UK insurers for European cover, with Seven Corners leading the field at £1,177 - much lower than BUPA which is the first firm most UK people probably think of when considering health insurance. Of course to some extent you may get what you pay for - and I am sure that these rates would not cover any sort of pre-existing condition that is likely to be expensive.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Also try italsure.co.uk, which quoted us a very competitive rate for health insurance (we are in our 50s).
Hi, sorry to hear about your predicament. Do a search under Health and Safety in this Forum and you will get plenty of threads and posts on this matter. The new rule, regarding early retirees has been applied by most EU countries, including Italy, France and Spain, although there are a few grey areas. Find out if you can make contributions to the Italian Social Security to get a health card. I think that it is possible and it costs about 85 euros per person, per month. That would be less than private medical insurance.
I hope that you will find a suitable solution.