An update from the Health Authority

Penny

08/27/2009 - 02:02

I went on Tusday back to try to see the director of the health authority that I had previously spoken two and who seemed to never return my calls or be there when I called. Guess what? She wasn't there! So I went to the URP office (customer servives) who were very helpful. I explained the problem that us permanent residents were being either denied inscription to the health service or only being permitted inscription for 12 months. I showed them all the documents I had found (including the guidance one from the Marche Region). They clarified a few things for me:1. All of the 13 ASUR offices are not autonomous and all work for the Marche ASUR office - this means all 13 areas MUST behave in the same manner. In other words if someone in Macerata can get their permanent inscription to the health service on the basis of their pemanent residency then so should we all2. The Marche ASUR works for the Marche Region. The URP office also tracked down the director who refused to discuss it directly with me and burbled on about how the law had changed in 2007 (YES WE KNOW I felt like shouting down the phone but refrained). Interestingly, once the ladies in the URP office pointed out that I would be making a complaint and putting everything in writing, the director never mentioned anything about Ascoli having a special "deroga" or being different in any way. The ladies in the URP office suggested I write to the ASUR 13 (Ascoli) office and the ASUR Marche office to demand my permanent inscription and pointing out that I need produce no other document than my permanent residency certificate, quoting and including all the relevant decrees and protocols. They are then obliged to respond in writing. That way if they refuse, I can take it further. The ladies also said that anyone else who is affected should also write and demand their permanent inscription in the same manner. The more people who write in, the more seriously they will have to take it. Once I have the letter done, I shall post it on here in Italian so that any of you also affected can use it too.

Topic

Health

Location

Marche

Comment

Penny - have been watching this group with interest but haven't contributed as not affected by the issue - YET. Just wanted to acknowledge the energy and effort you have been putting into this and say Thank You! Hopefully by the time we need to get into this the situation will be clear - but being Italy who knows!

Thaks Arty. I just seem to have encountered it first that's all.

Thanks Penny for all the effort you are putting into this and hope that there will be some total clarification in the end. Wife went to renew her details in July after the 5 years, and the woman in Amandola was adamant that it was only for 1 year despite her repeating the original advice you had researched. They said that it was only for Italians and not Stranieri, despite her having the full residence from the commune.Hopefully with your tenacity over the situation there will be a solution in the end. My full residency is not due until next year so will watch for your updates.

well i could add chapter and verse...but artys succint appreciation of your efforts is something i heartily agree with... i too am not effected by this ... thanks to an arguementative Italian wife...god forbid anyone that tells her that i cannot get what is mine by right..... also being from Campania her accent has a certain effect on people... most of her conviction comes from the fact that when she lived in England everything was so easily done and efficient for a non english EU citizen that she has become quite a private crusader against the inability of Italian petty officials to see beyond their limited desk tops...sorry waffled on again...thanks Penny and Arty for much better words...

Thnaks Badger (and Adriatica). Please get your wife to send the letter off too - when I post it up. The more of us that get on their case the better! Also, if they refer to you or your wife as "stranieri" please correct them. We are "cittadine comunitari". Stranieri in the terms of the health cover are "extra-comunitari" (i.e. outside the EU) and I wouldn;t be surprised if this is where all the confusion is coming from - not that I can get them to even consider that of course. Everything in writing is definitely our only option now. My husband's is up for renewal in November so we'll have that argument there too.

I look forward to anything that might move things forward, I get REALLY irritated by inconsistency and whilst have been financially 'screwed' on a number of occasions whilst living here primarily due to my poor Italiano lingua, and lack of understanding of the 'rules, or at least 'their' individualistic interpretation of them ! We MUST keep onto 'them' as THEY are acting in effect illegally !!Well done Penny................a star!!

penny that is so right... their confusion to me seems to arise because we are not in the euro zone... and they cannot be convinced that we are EU citizens... and this is from many sides not just officials...

I agree Adriatica. I've had people try to tell me we're not in the EU because we don't have the euro. I thought "I'll give it one more try" before I resort to letters and I tried to ring the person who wrote the guidance document from the Marche Region. I got through to her and she is the head of equality. She immediately said, yes we're entitled to permanent inscription to the health service without producing any other documents. She did write the document after all!! The only thing that rang a little alarm bell was that she wasn't sure we were entitled to a GP. I'm 99% sure we are but she did at least say she would double check that. She asked for all the details in an email and my contact details. I mentioned that I am not the only person with this problem and offered to send her everyone else's details if she wanted them. I now await her response. I'm probably crazy to say this but I feel cautiously optimistic. Only cautiously - it is Italy!!

This is the response I received today: /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}"Gentile signora Penelope le sue osservazioni sono corrette.Abbiamo parlato questa mattina con la dr.ssa Saldari che ha convenuto che, secondo quanto previsto dalla Direttiva del Ministero della Salute DG RUERI/II/12712 11.3b del 3 agosto 2007, Lei ha diritto all'iscrizione obbligatoria al SSN a tempo indeterminato. Tale diritto cessa qualora venga a mancare il diritto al soggiorno permanente. Siamo fiduciosi che il problema possa essere risolto. Cordiali saluti Dott.ssa Patrizia Carletti Osservatorio Diseguaglianze/Ars Marche" For those with less Italian, it basically says I am right and she has got the director at Ascoli ASUR office to agree I am entitled to a permanent inscription in the health service on the basis of my permanent residency. The only time this inscription is lost is if i lose my permanent residency. I have written back to ask what I do now. Once she has told me, I will aks what other people in my situation should do and then it should hoepfully be sorted for everybody!

Well done! As regards not being in Europe because we dont have the euro - perhaps, just perhaps understandable.BUt I get this: So you're English, You're anglicano - (ie not catholic) - Do you have Christmas? Added to - 'Are anglicans Christians?' and do Anglicans believe in God - it shows we have a way to go to be European!

Thanks Ram. We all get there in the end. I'm not counting my chickens just yet until I get the required document with it's obligatory stamp Some English kids in the school here weren't allowed by the teacher to paint the Easter Eggs because they were Anglicani! They came home in tears.