A law proposal filed with the Health and Social Affairs commission of the Chamber, promoted by Fratelli d'Italia, could soon become a reality, offering an innovative solution to allow the six million Italians living abroad to maintain the right to Italian healthcare.
The proposed law provides for 1,500 euros per year
Currently, when Italians residing abroad register with the Registry of compatriots residing abroad (Aire), they lose the right to Italian healthcare. The bill in question aims to change this situation, allowing them to maintain this right by paying an annual contribution.
According to data provided by Istat, the average annual cost for the treatment of an Italian patient is around three thousand eurosor. The deputy of the Brothers of Italy, Andrea Di Giuseppe, proposed a fee of around 1,500 euros per year for residents abroad, based on the average annual cost of an Italian patient in Italy. This proposal, if adopted, would entail a lower cost than that required of foreigners in Italy for periods longer than three months. This initiative was welcomed with interest by the government, as it could encourage the registration of Italian citizens abroad with the Revenue Agency to obtain a health card and access treatment without additional tax burdens.
If all six million Italians reside abroad if they agreed to this proposal, the State could cash in almost 9 billion euros per yearand this will be a significant source of revenue for the government.
A similar precedent was created with the latest budget law passed by the Meloni government, which increased the registration fee for the NHS for foreigners staying in Italy for more than three months from 387 to 2,000 euros per year.
Di Giuseppe is convinced that this law can bring to light a significant number of Italians living abroad who have not yet registered with the Aire so as not to lose the right to Italian healthcare. He underlines that this would allow us to have more precise data on the presence of Italians in the world and to make the State pay what is due, helping to recover important economic resources.
Rings: you must have respect for the medical profession
The president of National Federation of Medical Associations, Filippo Anelli, raised concerns about the proposed new fee schedule. Anelli highlighted that, despite years of work, the new proposed nomenclature appears to keep the 1996 tariffs unchanged for some services and even decrease them for others. This situation, according to Anelli, could not only negatively influence the provision of health services, but also diminish the value of the medical profession.
Anelli underlines that attributing a negligible cost to medical services reflects a general contempt for the value of the intellectual work of health professionals. This attitude, she states, can also have negative consequences on the respect due to doctorspaving the way for episodes of violence against them.
Faced with these criticisms, doctors are turning to Minister of Health, Schillaci, calling for a renewed commitment to enhancing the medical profession. They denounce the tendency for reference prices for medical services to steadily decline, pushing more and more professionals to leave the National Health Service to seek better opportunities in the private sector or abroad.
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