I've lost my health card.
sa-ni-TAH-rya — four syllables; stress the third. 'r' is lightly trilled.
Use this at the ASL office or the Agenzia delle Entrate (which now issues replacement health cards) when you need to replace a lost card. The tessera sanitaria is required for accessing healthcare services and for pharmacies.
The tessera sanitaria is Italy's health insurance card, issued by the Agenzia delle Entrate. It includes your codice fiscale and is also your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for travel within the EU. It must be shown at pharmacies to purchase prescription medicines at subsidised prices and at hospitals for co-payment (ticket) calculation.
Come si richiede una nuova tessera sanitaria?
How do you request a new health card?
Online via the Agenzia delle Entrate website with SPID, or in person at their offices.
La tessera sanitaria serve anche in Europa.
The health card is valid in Europe too.
The Italian card doubles as EHIC; important for travellers.
Senza tessera sanitaria pago il prezzo pieno in farmacia.
Without a health card I pay full price at the pharmacy.
The card activates prescription subsidies; without it, you pay the unsubsidised price.
Italy's tessera sanitaria functions simultaneously as a national health card, codice fiscale card, and European Health Insurance Card. Few other EU countries combine all three functions on a single card. The integration was designed to reduce bureaucracy, though many Italians still carry separate cards for different purposes out of habit.