From 21 September 2026 the tariffs for part of the services provided by the National Health Service will change. It is all part of the so-called tariff decree, approved at the State-Regions Conference.
More than 600 items between outpatient specialists and prosthetic assistance are revised upwards. However, there is good news, namely that the increases are targeted. According to estimates, in fact, net of an average impact of 5.8%, eight out of ten services remain unchanged. Here, then, is who pays the heaviest bill and where nothing changes.
Health ticket, the biggest increases
Looking at the average increases by area in Italian healthcare, some branches certainly stand out more than others. In the lead we find vascular diagnostics, with an average increase of 52.5%. Then follows:
- biopsy +16.8%;
- electromyography +13.3%;
- withdrawal +12.8%;
- rehabilitation +9%;
- color Doppler ultrasound +5.4%;
- nuclear medicine +4.5%;
- other instrumental diagnostics +3.8%;
- dialysis +3.6%;
- first visit +4.4%.
Looking at the general picture, it is above all the more specialized instrumental diagnostics that are driving the increases. The increase for more common tests and visits, however, is minimal.
How much more do you pay, performance by performance
The percentages give a general picture of the situation, but they are not enough. So let’s move on to a practical translation into euros:
- first basic specialist visit from 25.00 to 26.00 euros;
- first cardiological visit (with electrocardiogram) from 33.60 to 38.00 euros;
- first eye exam from 25.80 to 26.80 euros;
- dental visit from 25.35 to 26.40 euros;
- ENT visit from 26.20 to 27.20 euros;
- audiological or phoniatric visit from 22.00 to 26.00 euros.
The new amount of 26 euros also concerns the first neurological, gynecological, orthopaedic, pneumological, endocrinological and gastroenterological visits. Among tests and procedures, however:
- venous blood sampling from 3.80 to 4.30 euros;
- electrocardiogram from 11.60 to 12.05 euros;
- simple spirometry from 24.00 to 24.90 euros;
- fine needle aspiration of the breast from 31.25 to 36.50 euros.
Health ticket, what doesn’t change
Then comes a smile. In fact, most of the most common and daily checks do not undergo economic adjustments. The health copay remains unchanged for:
- specialist check-up visit 17.90 euros;
- chest x-ray 15.45 euros;
- knee x-ray 21.15 euros;
- ultrasound of the lower abdomen 37.80 euros;
- gynecological ultrasound 30.95 euros;
- bone densitometry 31.50 euros.
The main blood tests were also stable: complete blood count, blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin, cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, Tsh and ESR. The only increase in price in this area concerns the withdrawal, which goes from 3.80 to 4.30 euros.
Amortized increases: the price increase may be lower
There is also a mechanism to consider that cushions the increases. The decree impacts reimbursement rates, i.e. how much the State recognizes to the structures. For non-exempt citizens, the ticket coincides with the value of the tariff only within the maximum limits established for the prescription. In cases where the limit of 36.15 euros per prescription remains in force, the actual increase may be more contained.
To give an example, the first cardiological visit goes up by 4.40 euros, but those who are not exempt will still not pay more than 36.15 euros. The real increase, in this specific case, is therefore reduced to 2.55 euros. It is therefore not a one-size-fits-all increase, but rather targeted adjustments to individual performances.
Who doesn’t pay the increase
There remains a very large audience that is completely excluded from any increase. They are obviously exempt from the ticket. Among others, those who are entitled to exemption based on income (young people and those over 65 with low family income), the unemployed, holders of minimum or social pensions, those exempt due to chronic or rare pathologies, those exempt due to disability, pregnant women and those who access some prevention and screening programs do not pay. Categories for which services remain free regardless of the new tariffs.
