The new guide provides a vast range of answers to the recurring questions of citizens on mostly common and shared situations. Particularly, what is the health card, or Tessera sanitaria in Italian? How is it requested and, above all, what has it become? And again, what to do in case of loss, theft or damage? What to do when the deadline approaches? The answers to these and other questions are now available in the handy "Health Card" vademecum, accessible online in the tax guides section "the Agency informs". A dedicated video will also be accessible within the guide via the Agency's youtube channel.
Italian Health Insurance Card, a brief history and purposes – The health insurance card (or Tessera sanitaria) is a personal card which has replaced the Italian fiscal code card for all citizens entitled to benefits of the Italian National Health Service and fitted with tax code. Furthermore, its rear side acts as a European Health Insurance Card valid in all EU-member States. Particularly, the Italian Health Insurance Card is issued for Italian citizens by the Italian Ministry of Economy in cooperation with the Italian Agency of Revenue. Indeed, the Health Insurance Card aims at improving social security services through expenditure control and performance and, at the same time, at optimizing the use of health services by citizens. Particularly, the Health Card, which, as abovementioned, replaced the old tax code card, has also assumed, through the incorporated microchip, new functionalities so as to work as a smart card, able to access online service provided by public administrations. This version is called Health Card-National Service Card (HC-NSC).
Side A and side B - The guide first outlines the constitutive elements of the front part of the health card, including the tax code, personal data of the holder of the card and the expiring date, whilst on its rear side are reported the data that also allows you to obtain health care in the Union European Union, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, according to the regulations in force in each country.
Get it and use it - The vademecum reminds that the "Health Card" is a personal document necessary when the citizen goes to the doctor or pediatrician, collects a medicine from the pharmacy, books an examination in an analysis laboratory, undergoes a specialist visit in hospital or at an ASL and, in any case, whenever he needs to certify his tax code. The guide also recalls that the Health Card is free and is sent, by ordinary mail, to citizens who have the tax code assigned by the Revenue Agency (in this regard, explain how it happens) and are registered with the competent ASL that transmitted the data to the TS system. And, again, that its validity generally lasts six years.
Overcoming obstacles – The last chapter is devoted to provide the correct answers to the main problems related to material errors, forgetfulness (for example, how to behave in the pharmacy if you have left the Card at home) and rather common situations, such as the coincidence of the expiring date and the need to use the Ts.
Stefano Latini