Visitors who are not citizens of the EU may be required to pay for emergency hospital care in Italy’s Tuscany from September of this year.
Taking into account the increased interest among foreigners in visiting Italy, the authorities have said that such a measure will provide relief for the hospitals of the region, Schengen.News reports.
As The Florentine explains, in an attempt to introduce more favourable rules to the advantage of Florence’s capital, the authorities are considering introducing a mandatory health insurance requirement for all visitors who are not EU citizens.
Commenting on the move, the president of the Tuscany region, Eugenio Giani, said that the wave of tourists is causing chaos, especially in emergency rooms at Santa Maria Nuova hospital in Florence.
At the same time, Giani said that they are intending to apply reciprocity, stressing that if Italians travel to the US they are aware that they need health insurance to avoid high cost of treatment.
What we intend to do is simple. If we travel to the US, we know that health insurance is required to avoid the considerable cost of treatment at the emergency room. By the same reasoning, travellers who come to Italy from outside the European Union should do the same based on the principle of reciprocity.
In addition to the above-mentioned, Giani noted that the extra funding that will be collected from this requirements will be use to pay those working at the emergency rooms and reduce the waiting lists.
Will the Move Affect Foreigners Holding Italian Residence Permits?
The proposal to make it mandatory for foreign visitors to hold travel insurance to be offered hospital care in Tuscany still needs to be approved before it enters into force.
As the authorities have explained, if the move is approved, the decision will not affect foreigners in the country who have a residence permit.
This means that foreign non-EU citizens who already hold a permit, which gives them the right to live and work in the country, will not be affected by the proposed measure.
On the other hand, the move will mainly affect nationals of non-EU countries who are permitted visa-free entry to the EU and who are not obliged to purchase travel insurance.
As for non-EU nationals who need to obtain a visa in order to enter Italy, they should not be worried about this measure as they already need to purchase travel insurance when applying for the visa.
