# Medical Care



## RiverKing (Jan 12, 2016)

My wife and I plan to relocate to Italy later this year. 

Please can someone advise on the availability (or not) of free or subsidized health care. I am English but have lived in Brazil for the past 10 years so my EHIC is long since expired and I can no longer apply to have it renewed as Brazil is not an EU or EEA country. At age 65 I have sufficient income to fund life in Italy, but not to include private health insurance.

My wife is Brazilian but her father is Italian and we are most of the way through the process for her to attain Italian nationality.


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

The likely best option is for your wife to get her Italian citizenship recognized, Italian passport in hand, then move as a couple to Italy if you're both ready.(*) As a citizen she would unambiguously qualify for the "mandatory registration" category, meaning she could enroll at no charge in the Italian public medical system. Since she would be eligible to enroll at no charge, so would her legally co-resident spouse (of any nationality), also at no charge.

Enrollment in the Italian public system means you both get EHICs automatically. Of course there are a few co-pays (called "tickets"), some services aren't covered (including long-term care), and there are waits for particular non-urgent services, but all those limits should be unsurprising at least at a basic level.

(*) It is possible to gain Italian citizenship recognition in Italy. Presumptively qualified citizenship recognition applicants resident in Italy are also eligible to enroll in the public medical system without enrollment fee, but they are not permitted to work unless and until recognized. It's not my favorite option, though, since it can be more bureaucratically frustrating.


----------



## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

RiverKing said:


> I am English .


If you receive an UK pension that's the easiest. If not you'd have to pay to enter the national system.


----------



## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

NickZ said:


> If you receive an UK pension that's the easiest. If not you'd have to pay to enter the national system.


Having said that, even if you DO have to pay, the cost is quite reasonable. I forget the exact numbers, but quite a bit less than €500 per year per person if I recall correctly.

It's on a calendar year basis; the cost is the same whether you sign up on January 2nd or December 24th.


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Marriage to and co-residence with an Italian citizen should waive all that.


----------



## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

BBCWatcher said:


> Marriage to and co-residence with an Italian citizen should waive all that.


Agreed. I was just stating the worst-case scenario.


----------



## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

accbgb said:


> Having said that, even if you DO have to pay, the cost is quite reasonable. I forget the exact numbers, but quite a bit less than €500 per year per person if I recall correctly.
> 
> It's on a calendar year basis; the cost is the same whether you sign up on January 2nd or December 24th.


It's about 10% of income below 30K. Some thing like that. At least legally


----------



## RiverKing (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks to all. We'll get my wife's citizenship completed and then move after that.


----------

