This is so true. My wife and I retired to Italy 6 years ago because we realized that the US would be too expensive. Fortunately my wife is an Italian citizen so I was able to get my health card within a couple of months. I have to see a cardiologist once a year and decided to opt for a private cardiologist. My cost is €130 a year. The thing I found most impressive on my first visit was that the cardiologist came to the waiting area himself and introduced himself. He then took me back to his office where we spent the next 45 minutes one-on-one. He performed the EKG himself and at no time did I see an assistant or nurse. It has continued to be this way for the 6 years we’ve been in Italy. I’m 71 years old and this is without a doubt the best care I’ve experienced. The medical professionals care about the patient and not about the money. I won’t even begin to tell you about my cancer experience but I would say that I would probably not be here today without my Italian doctors.
Hi Rick! Thank you so much for weighing in. Pete had the exact same experience with his cardiologist. And the price was the same. It is amazing to me the quality of care, and it seems almost like a throwback to a time in our country when doctors made house calls and knew their patients by name. I have had fabulous medical care here, if you are familiar with the rest of the videos on the channel, I recently broke my ankle and had to have surgery and honestly this hospital experience was the best and least expensive I have ever had.
I can't even find the words to express how valuable the information in this video is. I am quickly seeing that I can no longer afford to live in the U.S. This is a very sad fact but makes me realize that I would have a much happier, healthier life in Italy. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much for the Video, very informative, was Ill in Venice while on vacation, treated in Emergency room promptly , saw triage doctors, specialist, received treatment, endoscopy etc, 350euro was bill, in America maybe $ 10,000 ,or more without Insurance
Wow!!! I can’t wait until we can get my husband’s citizenship!!! As a RN in the US it makes me sad an embarrassed to think this is what our health care system looks like compared to Italy!!
That is so exciting! Yes Dr. Armenio was so great to explain everything to us. Being close to Bari now it is so nice to know we have him and his associates so close by. Lovely people too.
Chris having been watching your videos for the last two year's, this has been the most valuable information to date. Your questions, answered 90% of the issues i needed answered. Thank you vey mush and keep up the good work
What amazes me as an Italian citizen covered by universal healthcare are the amounts of money being spoken about without the blinking of an eye. I pay nothing for healthcare in Italy. My guess is simply you make more money in the US than in Europe, so paying the comparatively lower fees are appealing.
Obviously, one cannot get the elective resident visa without insurance. How much would the insurance cover with the minimum required international insurance, and how much is covered with the NHS, after 1 year of residency?
It is my understanding that you do need a 1 year medical insurance policy for the first year then after that you do not and those policies are not much, a few hundred euros a year. I am not sure exactly what all is covered and I am sure there are different plans.
Such great information. After recently visiting Italy & falling for SDT, I didn't really need any more convincing, but you've still managed to convince me more. Thank you, Chris.
But these payments are aimed at foreigners who don't have residence in Italy , obviously they are not aimed at Italians and as far as I know not even at foreigners who have residence there if you use government public facilities .
I also wonder about those who are on our US social security that have Medicare. Does Medicare reimburse any emergency treatment oversees? I don’t have Medicare but I know my private US insurance will reimburse me, but I fall into that category of 3 months in, 3 months out and not full time. Also Chris, for all of us Calabrian buyers where are the nearest public and private facilities if we need to drive ourselves for treatment? Great info, hoping not to have to use but as we both know having husbands with similar issues this is so important. Damn, the price differences are staggering!
Hi Michelle! From what I am finding, Medicare does not reimburse you for foreign care but I have not really scratched the surface yet. I am looking for myself and Pete and will update you on what I find out. I will be making an appt with someone who can go over all of it with me. it is very confusing. I do know that whatever hospital you go to they have to triage you. We have gone to the one in Belvedere Marittimo but there is one in Praia too. When we were in SDT I noticed an ambulance out the back of the village and asked Antonello about it. he said that they are planning on keeping it there to cut any transport time getting a critical patient to the hospital. I was so happy to hear that!
REALLY great information~! Learned a lot. I just sent this link to my husband so he can watch too. Thanks for sharing. We are STILL waiting on our medical cards to arrive from Rome, and we have been here 8+ months.
For people who come from the east and who are part of European union have the same rights or duties apply to them exactly as Italians or foreigners residing in Italy. All European people who are part of the European union find the same assistence procedures , example If ine Italy you use a Germany health facility or in another European region you will find the same assistance as you would find in Italy with the same rights and duties and vice versa. While it is different for foreigners who come from outside the European border.
Chris, thank you for making this video. I do have a few areas I am not clear about. I plan to retire on an ERV next fall. I am a New York State employee who can choose to keep my health insurance (the Empire Plan) in retirement paying between $150 - 200 USD/month. Medical costs will be paid at 80% if I reach the high deductible. I plan to live in Puglia under the 7% incentive. Once I get my ERV and retire to Italy, will I become eligible for the Italian healthcare system right away as a tax resident or is there a waiting period? In the video, private healthcare is discussed. Is this another insurance to have along with the Italian healthcare system? Or is it a pay by the service option? What kind of health insurance will the consulate seek for an ERV? I would appreciate your help in determining what I will need to have before and after moving to Italy. Terry
Hi Terry! Thank you for writing! From what we have seen there eis no waiting period. After you get your ERV and Permesso di Soggiorno I think you can go right ahead and get your Carta Sanitaria which makes you eligible for health insurance. To supplement that you can get private insurance or pay as you go. About the type of plan the consulate seeks, that I am not sure. Studio Legale Metta can advise you on that and they have insurance companies and policies they can recommend. Good luck and hopefully we see you in Puglia!
Hi James, You can get universal health care if you are a resident and you go through the process of getting your elective residence visa and your permit to stay visa. If you are.a citizen or become one you automatically are eligible. That said, if you are admitted to the hospital through Er your treatment is free.
I follow your channel and wanted to let you know we are praying for the community and families that are affected by the floods and landslides. On another note thank you for the information on healthcare in Italy. I am a nurse and have actually done research on the differences in Healthcare around the world. I think it is good to know for several reasons. Thanks again. Valerie
Thank you Valerie, We are also praying for those victims. Southern Italy got hit pretty hard with the rain. We had a similar thing happen in Tortora but as far as I know no one was injured but there was a lot of property damage. Calabria weather is extremely volatile.
LOL I just sent this to a friend and told her that Dr Armenio was dreamy and she write back saying OMG! Yes! he is totally dreamy! He has a lot of lady fans! If he were an actor he would be a famous leading man. As it is he is medical angel for women who really need someone to care for them.
Thank you Chris, amazing video explaining all the questions I had. I am an Australian and just found out that I am an Italian citizen, can you tell me the difference between a resident and a citizen, can I live there or do I need to apply for residency?
Each district has an office whit a list of doctor working in the city/town/village, you will choose from this list, you can choose a doctor from a other town if you want.
Excellent informative video! I’d be interested in hearing a bit more about general information and rough costs/coverage about the kinds of supplemental coverage available in Italy for American seniors who live there 3 months on 3 off and own or rent homes in both countries. Thank you so much for your valuable advice already offered. (btw Pete’s a whiz with the drone these days!).
Thank you Maya! I would like to know more abut that too. It could be a huge money saver because trip insurance is so expensive. I will see what I can find out.
@@SuperSavvyTravelersLLC I've been so worried about the what-it's when we're there. This information gives us a much better understanding of seeking healthcare if we need it. Can you talk about the Guardia medica service? My Italian teacher mentioned it.
adesos I did not understand everything, but as an Italian and resident in Italy, if I am admitted to hospital I pay nothing, perhaps he was speaking for foreigners or non-Europeans (for Europeans emergencies are always guaranteed). In any case, admissions are also based on emergencies (first the emergencies and then gradually the rest, depending on the availability of places in the hospital, it may be that you are temporarily placed in a ward that is not the one you have to go to if there is no space (for example, if you have to be admitted to gynaecology with an emergency but the ward is full, they move you to maternity and vice versa), but these are sporadic cases . It has to be said that I live in a region in northern Italy and on average healthcare in the north is better than in southern Italy
Thank you for your insight. There are some places in the south where the media treatment is stellar. This doctor is in Puglia and I have heard great things about their medical care.
@@SuperSavvyTravelersLLC yes there are excellences even in the south (as doctors) the problem is that sometimes the facilities may be more lacking in quality not the professionalism of the doctor (who are generally well trained in Italy) 🙂
What if you’re a woman who is in the highest risk bracket for breast cancer and you want to have preventative dual mastectomy with reconstructive surgery? In the US, this is not an option for most women unless they can afford to pay cash. I imagine it would be the same (have to pay cash) but how much would it cost?
If you are a resident I assume it is covered under the universal coverage in Italy. If you choose to pay cash you will need to get the costs from your doctor.
@@SuperSavvyTravelersLLC That kind of surgery is not covered by the national system neither for those who have citizenship because is not under LEA (Essential Assistence Levels), and it's threated like a plastic surgery. In Italy no one can do their business with public (taxes) money. For a mastectomy, you have access only if you have a cancer diagnosis. Anyway, even a private mastectomy should be more affordable than in the US. I've never seen anyone paying more than 30.000$ for a surgery here, and it was a spinal cord surgery, with 4 month of ospedalization.
As someone who is going to undergo preventive mastectomy in Italy, I need to correct what the user LightMovies said earlier. For women with the BRCA1/BRCA2 genetic mutation, preventive double mastectomy IS NOT considered cosmetic surgery in Italy and it's fully covered by the National Health Service. The only scenario where it's not covered is if a woman doesn't have the genetic mutation and a family history of breast cancer (in my case my mother's got breast cancer twice) but still wants to undergo the procedure.
Ok, this sounds good. But please, do not forget, some hospitals are really old, house caretaker do just the minimum. On sunday, there is no toilet paper in the public toilet. The care of the nurses is ok, but the minimum. And then, they have less and less people who work there (like everywhere in Europe) The nurse told me, to bring some bottles of water for my father, so he has enough water to drink. This never happened to me in Switzerland. I think, Switzerland is too expensive and is too much luxury. But this in Italy made me angry. There are a lot of people, they do their job well. But there are also a LOT of "menefreghisti" (I don't care, it's not my problem!).
Hi Irene, This is not my experience although I d know it is very different in that you do have to bring a lot of your own supplies however the care here is very good and I have to say I think the medical care here is superior to the care in the US. After the pandemic they decided they did not have to provide service despite the fact that we were paying over $1,000 a month for basic health care. It is so much cheaper here and I was treated like a queen.
