Navya's Tastes & Tales

  Moving to Italy is exciting, but one of the first things expats need to understand is how healthcare works . Italy has a strong healthcare system, but should you rely on public healthcare (SSN) or get private insurance ?   Public Healthcare in Italy (SSN) Italy’s public health system is called the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) . Once registered, you receive a tessera sanitaria (health card) , giving access to doctors, hospitals, and subsidized medicines. Costs of SSN Employees: Public healthcare contributions are automatically deducted from your salary, usually around 10% of your gross income , partly paid by you and partly by your employer. For example, if you earn €1,500/month, roughly €150–€200 is deducted for healthcare and social security. Self-employed (Partita IVA): You pay INPS contributions yourself, typically 24–26% of income , which includes healthcare. Students, unemployed, or dependents: You can register with SSN by paying a flat annual fe...

  If you're living in Italy and want to access public healthcare (SSN – Servizio Sanitario Nazionale) , you must register with the health system. For many people, this requires paying something called the Tassa Sanitaria .  What is Tassa Sanitaria? Tassa Sanitaria is a yearly health contribution tax for foreigners living in Italy who are not automatically covered under the Italian health system (SSN). Once you pay it, you can register at your local health office (ASL) and get your Tessera Sanitaria (health card) . Who Needs to Pay Tassa Sanitaria? You need to pay if you belong to one of these categories: 1. Students If you’re in Italy for studying (with permesso di soggiorno per motivi di studio ), you must pay Tassa Sanitaria each year to access the public health system.  The fee is usually €150–€200/year .( Note : Traditionally, the student Tassa Sanitaria was about €150-€200 per year .However, recent updates (2024–2025) show that some regions like Lazio (which inc...