On another thread I was given a tip regarding an insurance company to obtain lower cost health insurance. This prompted me to search the forum for postings about other companies/plans--and I am not finding too much that is recent (2008).

So, I thought I would post what I have found with the request to readers to add to it--and I would particularly love to hear from someone who has used one of these and tested the service for getting claims filled (good or bad).

Specifically for me, my husband and I are retired USA citizens on ER visa, waiting (albeit a tad impatiently) for our initial PdS approval and residency--and we would like to find some low(er) cost health insurance to meet our needs until we can sign up with ASL.

Any suggestions (or links to helpful threads either within the Expat forum or on the web) would be greatly appreciated. I have written to INA Assitalia in Chianciano--hoping that an agent there speaks a little English and will call or email back. Also, I will call Gateway tomorrow and see what I can find out.

Gateway: http://www.gatewayplans.com/contactus/index.cfm#ah

Insurance Comparison Site: http://www.nriol.com/insurance/international-health-insurance-overview.html

INA Assitalia: http://www.inaassitalia.it/iaportal/home.do

This is who we got out insurance though maybe they can help...but tell them you want travel insurance...that is what we have..if you need more info let me know

Global Insurance Net.com
7700 N. Kendall Drive Suite 505
Miami, FL 33156 USA
tel 305-274-0284
fax 305-675-6134
1-800-975-7363
info@globalinsurancenet.com
www.globalinsurancenet.com
Member, US Better Business Bureau

Unfortunately your medical insurance requirements seem to be secondary to the comune's idea of what you should have when it comes to granting residenza/PdS.

As I've posted before, our local comune was perfectly happy to grant our residenza application on the back of a standard Allianz policy that cost €743 for the two of us for a year's cover.

However some friends presenting an identical policy to a different Abruzzo comune had it rejected on the grounds it wasn't comprehensive enough.

Whether your proposed medical insurance is deemed sufficient seems a random and arbitrary process. It is true that the comunes have a great degree of legal autonomy in deciding what is/isn't accettabile.

Italy or bust- weren't you required to show proof of insurance for your pds? I had to include a photocopy of my tessera sanitaria.

Or proof of insurance when applying for the ER visa?

quote:

Originally posted by Bill 2:
Italy or bust- weren't you required to show proof of insurance for your pds? I had to include a photocopy of my tessera sanitaria.

Dear Graeme and Bill2,

NO! We had the insurance statement with us in Houston at the consulate, and she said, TWICE, she did NOT need any of the insurance information because we would not need it as we were going to move there and would get into the Italian health system!!!!! I was totally floored. We went one day to see her to ascertain everything that was needed to apply for the visa--she told us that day we did not need the insurance. We returned the following day with everything she said we DID need, and I again had the statement with me and asked her if she wanted it, and she said no she did not need it.

With God as my witness... as well as my husband standing right there....

Now...I am really curious why the comune would want you to have insurance in order to grant residency???? Because once we have that in hand we would apply to ASL and drop the insurance. Or would we?????

Also I wonder if the questura is going to bring up health insurance?

DeeBee is an EU citizen- they are required to have private health cover to apply for residenza (unless old enough to collect pension from their home country).

Also I wonder if the questura is going to bring up health insurance?[/QUOTE]

When we went to our questura meeting I had the copies of our insurance but they never asked to see it....

also wanted to tell you(after thinking about it more)the travel insurance we have had to be bought in the states before we left....so I don't think global is for you sorry about that....

quote:

Originally posted by Italy or Bust!:
NO! We had the insurance statement with us in Houston at the consulate, and she said, TWICE, she did NOT need any of the insurance information because we would not need it as we were going to move there and would get into the Italian health system!!!!! I was totally floored.

I am now. It's one of the fundamental prerequisites for most Consulates.

quote:

Now...I am really curious why the comune would want you to have insurance in order to grant residency????

Bill answered that question above. EU citizens require it for residency.

quote:

Also I wonder if the questura is going to bring up health insurance?

They will. Or I would be surprised if they didn't. But then I'm surprised the Consulate didn't want it. The PdiS application is an exact re-run of the ER visa application, requirement for requirement, document for document. For our recent renewals, like Bill, we were asked for copies of our tessera sanitaria.

From memory, proof of health insurance is on the list of requirements for the PdiS application through the Poste. Isn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by Graeme:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Italy or Bust!:
NO! We had the insurance statement with us in Houston at the consulate, and she said, TWICE, she did NOT need any of the insurance information because we would not need it as we were going to move there and would get into the Italian health system!!!!! I was totally floored.

I am now. It's one of the fundamental prerequisites for most Consulates.

quote:

Now...I am really curious why the comune would want you to have insurance in order to grant residency????

Bill answered that question above. EU citizens require it for residency.

quote:

Also I wonder if the questura is going to bring up health insurance?

They will. Or I would be surprised if they didn't. But then I'm surprised the Consulate didn't want it. The PdiS application is an exact re-run of the ER visa application, requirement for requirement, document for document. For our recent renewals, like Bill, we were asked for copies of our tessera sanitaria.

From memory, proof of health insurance is on the list of requirements for the PdiS application through the Poste. Isn't it?

EDIT. No it's not.

quote:

Originally posted by Graeme:
From memory, proof of health insurance is on the list of requirements for the PdiS application through the Poste. Isn't it?

Nope!! I did not see ANYTHING on the application form for it. Did not send anything for it, either. Did we just miss it?? We went over it with a comune staff person, too, who helped us with the application.

Graeme when we went to the questura for Venice they did not ask to see our proof of health insurance at all....

quote:

Originally posted by Italy or Bust!:
Nope!! I did not see ANYTHING on the application form for it. Did not send anything for it, either. Did we just miss it?? We went over it with a comune staff person, too, who helped us with the application.

I edited my post probably at the time you were posting. I checked the requirements and health insurance doesn't feature. But that didn't stop the Questura asking for proof of our coverage. I hadn't included the proof in ourapplication because, I realise now, it wasn't on the list.

I'm not sure why it's not on the list. As I said earlier, the PdiS application is just a re-run of the requirements for the ER visa. And yours is the first Consulate I've heard of that didn't require proof of coverage. Of course, it might have been the whim of the Consular officer in question.

quote:

Graeme when we went to the questura for Venice they did not ask to see our proof of health insurance at all....

Did you include the proof of coverage with your other documents in your PdiS application? If so, that's why they didn't ask. If not, it's just another case of different branches of the same bureaucracy doing things differently.

Since it was a year ago and my memory isn't working all that well I am not sure but I probably did include it with my stuff I sent in with the post office thinking it had to be the same as I did for the original visa...

for "Italy or Bust" The Gateway plan we purchased is the "Premier" plan. We have had no need for it so don't know if they pay well or not. I presume that they will be as reluctant to pay a claim as any other insurance company.

We are now in the Italian health care system and I am deciding whether or not to renew the Gateway plan or perhaps find something else as a supplementary and travel policy. If anyone who is in the system has also purchased a private health insurance policy for a moderate price, I would love to hear about it.

quote:

Originally posted by cuoca:
for "Italy or Bust" The Gateway plan we purchased is the "Premier" plan. We have had no need for it so don't know if they pay well or not. I presume that they will be as reluctant to pay a claim as any other insurance company.

We are now in the Italian health care system and I am deciding whether or not to renew the Gateway plan or perhaps find something else as a supplementary and travel policy. If anyone who is in the system has also purchased a private health insurance policy for a moderate price, I would love to hear about it.

The Premier plan is what I had my eye on!

I would really like to know what you find for life AFTER getting your health care card Italy.

When I was looking for car insurance - I saw that Clements International also offers health and life insurance geared to Expats.

I don't know which part of Italy you are from but try reading the below link which I found for the ASL in Rome, you can get most day care treatment plus all emergency treatment free of charge at the ASL even before you receive your pds.

http://www.aslromab.it/cittadini/servizi/stranieri/index.php

Italy or bust's in Pienza

Italy or Bust -- I'm making the move from the US to Bologna in a month and am currently researching international insurance policy options, so I'd love to know what you find in your research. Many companies out there, but few resources to get any feedback on the thousands of options.... Help!

Please keep us posted on what you find.

Also, any others who have policies/insurance companies they can recommend is appreciated as well.

Thanks!