A new one for me................

11/21/2011 - 01:43

Being a full time resident here in Italy, we are having a month or so on holiday in another EU country (not in the UK, our country of origin). Does anybody know what 'travel' related health cover are we 'entitled' to ? When in the UK I think we had a basic EHIC card, topped up by travel insurance.Any thoughts would be great .......S

Comment

Your plastic Tessera Sanitaria is also the EHIC card so you need to carry that with you as proof that you are covered under the Italian system and therefore under the reciprocal European system. As Ram has said, it only covers you for A&E treatment under the same terms as any national of the EU country you are visiting so you do need to take out a travel insurance policy as well to cover any additional expenses not included ie some medication costs may not be covered, ambulances etc etc. So in essence, exactly the same as if you were still in UK.

My Husband reaches pension age in Jan 2012. We are both residents here in Le Marche and both have a Tessera Sanitaria. However along with my Husbands pension forcast arrived an SI  form asking him to fill it in  I quote "Once registered with the Italian Authorities they would give the same medical cover in Italy"   Is this somethig new ? As obviously we already have good medical cover here and if Andiamo is correct in what he says re dual cover both in UK and in Italy with the Tessera, we don't really want to risk losing that by filling out the SI. thoughts welcome    

Gail, I think you have misunderstood my answer. You cannot have dual comprehensive health cover -  it is one or the other depending upon where you are resident. As you state you are resident in Le Marche and have the Tessera Sanitaria, whilst you are fully covered in Italy, you would only be covered under the reciprocal EU agreement for emergency A&E treatment in any other country included in the agreement, including the UK. So strictly speaking it is only emergency cover that the UK NHS can now provide to you as you are no longer resident and are registered under another country's health system. As for the SI form - I have never seen one, hopefully someone else can advise.

Understood now. Thanks for that. The SI in reality the S1 is the form to apply for the EHIC card. Which after doing some googling have discovered it is the same as the Tessera, so Hubby need not apply for it ????   What do you think? I can't get through to Overseas Healthcare in Newcastle at the moment so no joy there.

Lots of previous stuff on the S1 see previous posts by Penny and myself. Talk to the people at Newcastle very helpful, you can add yourself to your husbands S1 if you are not yet receiving a UK pension yourself and are his dependant. In fact for me they sent a new form with all this information typed in.To avoid confusion you do need to talk to the people at Newcastle.

Sorry guys, I may be saying something silly, but....are you saying that your Italian "tessera sanitaria" is valid throughout the EU? I am under the impression that your ordinary "tessera" is only valid in Italy and that, if you are going to another EU country you need the European card (Tessera Sanitaria Europea) and that you have to apply for it. http://www.assicurazioniviaggio.eu/tessera-sanitaria-europea.html I am saying that I am not absolutely certain because I do not reside in Italy but in Spain, where I have the national health card; however, every couple of years I have to apply for the European card, which is the one I can use whenever I am in Italy or in any other EU country. My understanding is that the national health cards can only be used within the country that issues them. The European card is blue in colour and bears the EU logo. And, just as you said, it only covers essential treatment.

When Italy introduced the new plastic Tessera a few years ago they were incredibly sensible and combined the cards, as mentioned in the post above - on one side are the details for Italians (or non-Italians who are fully covered for state health care in Italy) to receive health care in Italy and on the reverse are the details for the emergency cover if needed in an EU country or one with reciprocal health agreement. Have a look at the link above - it explains it there and has some clear photos with explanations for the 2in1 card.

Thank you, Andiamo. They have done a combined Tessera, which is an excellent idea. I have to carry two cards with me..... Another good idea for anyone travelling is to get a copy of your medical records, particularly if you are on medication for chronic conditions.