Health card, the new version of the document is about to be released, which will soon replace the old ones. Let’s see in detail what changes.
Not everyone is aware of it yet, but the new health card is about to arrive in Italy. A change that perhaps those who had requested it before or after the date of 1 March 2022 have already noticed.
It was in fact decided to give the document a new graphic layout and also some symbols that were not there previously. This change was introduced with a decree published in the Official Gazette at the end of March by the Ministry of Economy.
Health card, what changes have been foreseen by the government
Changes however, they seem to concern only the graphic aspect of the document, and in the text, on the other hand, there are no new provisions regarding its functioning. Therefore, the new health card will be provided to citizens who request it, starting from the month of April. It will be as always a laminated document similar in size to a credit card.
The health card is now an indispensable tool for all Italian taxpayers to have access to the services provided by our National Health System, whether it is an outpatient visit, a laboratory examination, but also a hospitalization, it is essential to show the document to access it, also because it also contains the tax code. And in hospital contexts, it can therefore also represent a valid alternative to an identity card.
Health card, here changes the graphics in the new version
But now let’s go for a moment to see in detail, what they are specifically the graphic improvements that are made in this new version. Firstly, one of the most evident innovations introduced concerns the absence of the logo of the region in which the applicant resides. An ad hoc modification was also included for those who live in the autonomous province of Bolzano.
From now on, residents will have in their health card, both the words in Italian and German. Another important change concerns the case of those who possess diacritical characters in their personal name. That is, we are talking about additional signs in addition to letters, and in the new document these will be shown on two inclined lines.
Health card, important changes in the applicant’s name and surname
In the first there will be, as always, the name and surname of the holder with these symbols, while in the second there will be only the personal data without diacritics. The validity, at the time of issue of the new health card, remains fixed at six years. There is an exception in this sense, which concerns non-EU citizenswhose document remains valid until the expiry of the residence permit.
However, no changes have been made on the back of the card. And this means that we will always find the European health insurance card which allows those who have it to benefit from the health services of the member states of the European Union.