In Italy health care costs are borne:
- by the National Health Service (SSN);
- by the Supplementary Welfare Funds;
- by Insurance Institutes that operate in the health field, in whole or in part or indirectly, through total or partial reimbursement of expenses incurred;
- by the patient on his own.
The Supplementary Welfare Funds (2) are public or private bodies which, against a contribution from the employee, provide the payment of health expenses, usually of any kind. The payment is made up to a maximum amount, for each type of pathology, according to rates published annually by the Body.
The Funds operate with facilities and health care directly affiliated with the same, in which case payments are made directly, or not affiliated, and therefore with reimbursement of expenses advanced by the person concerned. If the health care expense exceeds, for whatever reason, the tariff, the difference remains at the expense of the patient. The excess of the expense can occur if you access health facilities of very high standard.
The same applies to Insurance Institutes (3) with a difference, in the sense that the insurance cover is valid only for those pathologies that occurred after the stipulation of the contract. This means that if the treatment refers to a previous illness, the insurance will not intervene.
The information on the pre-existence of the pathology is given by the insured himself, by filling in a special form in the documents for the conclusion of the contract. Attention, therefore, because before liquidating a case, the offices of the Insurances require a copy of the medical record from which detailed examination, often between the notes or the medical history, can trace back to previous diseases.
In the case of Insurance, you must take into account the maximum amount insured, which is the amount beyond which you will not have coverage. In most cases, for common illnesses, the maximum amount is largely sufficient, but sometimes, for long-term treatment or highly specialised interventions, this may not be the case; it is always better to call first. Some contracts do not cover ancillary costs, such as board and lodging for an accompanying person. This and other information may be specified during the preventive telephone call. For example, the Fasdac Insurance Fund provides for reimbursement of 85% of the expenses incurred.
