The thousands of British ex-pats who live in Italy and the many more tourists who go on holiday there each year will still be able to receive healthcare after Brexit, thanks to the new Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill going through parliament now.
For now, the UK is still a member of the European Union and British citizens can continue getting free healthcare anywhere in Europe with their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). However, there has been some uncertainty recently about whether this would still be the case after Brexit, but the government has now confirmed that there should be no change to Brits’ health status when travelling abroad.
If the bill is passed, it will permit the UK government to make separate and reciprocal deals with each different EU member state in order to lower health insurance costs and make it easier for UK residents to receive medical attention in a different country. An extension of the EHIC scheme is also planned for after 2020, as long as the UK and the EU come to an agreement on it.
So, while British people living and working in Italy, and retirees, will still be able to receive free healthcare as they do on the NHS, there are other effects of Brexit for ex-pats living in the EU that are not so clear, such as whether they will need visas to legally reside in Italy and what their residence status will be.
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