From September 2024, tourists from outside the European Union may be required to pay for emergency hospital care in Tuscany.
The discussion comes as the number of non-EU patients outweighs Europeans this summer, especially in Florence and across the coast. In order to relieve the pressure on Tuscany’s hospitals, the regional government is considering the introduction of mandatory health insurance for travellers from non-EU countries.
“A tidal wave of tourists is engulfing the emergency rooms at Santa Maria Nuova hospital in Florence and along the coast,” Eugenio Giani, president of the Tuscany region, is reported to have said to local newspapers. “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.”
Giani continues. “The extra funding that we collect can be used to pay our emergency responders accordingly as well as reducing waiting lists.”
In the event that the regional legislation is enacted, healthcare for foreigners with permits to stay or people living temporarily in Tuscany will not be affected.
