From September 2024, people visiting Italy’s Tuscany, who are not residents of the European Union, may have to pay for emergency hospital care.
According to the authorities, this measure would provide hospitals in the region some relief. After all, there is an increasing number of foreign tourists coming to Italy.
The Requirement
The Florentine said that they want to introduce more favorable rules that can benefit the capital of Florence i.e. Tuscany.
Therefore, the authorities are exploring the option of introducing a health insurance requirement. That would be mandatory on all visitors who are not citizens of the EU.
The president of Italy’s Tuscany region, Eugenio Giani, commented on the move. He stated that there was a significant amount of chaos due to the wave of tourists.
This is particularly true in the case of Florence’s Santa Maria Nuova hospital, as its emergency room receives a lot of patients.
He said that the measure they plan on implementing is very straightforward. He said that when they travel to the United States, they know that health insurance is required.
This is aimed at avoiding a high cost in case a visit to the emergency room is required. Therefore, people coming to Italy from outside the European Union should also obtain health insurance.
The Steps
Giani also mentioned that the extra funding they would collect after this requirement goes into effect would be used for paying those who work at the emergency rooms.
Plus, it would also reduce waiting lists. However, it should be noted that this is currently just a proposal. It is not yet mandatory for foreign visitors to have health insurance for getting hospital care in Tuscany.
The proposal first requires approval. According to the authorities, even if the proposal gets the required approval, it will not have any impact on foreigners holding a residence permit.
This means the proposed measure would not have any impact on foreign non-EU citizens who are holding a residence permit. The permit in question allows them to work and live in Italy.
The Impact
The measure is likely to have an impact on nationals of non-EU countries who are allowed to enter the European Union without a visa and are not obliged to buy travel insurance.
But, non-EU nationals who have to obtain a visa for entering Italy do not need to worry either. This is due to the fact that they are already required to buy travel insurance when they apply for the visa.
Therefore, things will remain mostly unchanged for them. Visitors who have visa-free entry are the ones who will feel the most impact because they will have to meet an additional requirement.
It would also increase their cost of travel. However, this will only happen if the measure is approved and goes into effect from September 2024.
