Health Insurance

Xamineh

Hey everyone!

I tried to ask a few Irish people about Irish healthcare system, but they couldn't help me with my question.
The question is:
I have double citizenship, I am Brazilian and Italian, I was born in Brazil and I had never been in Italy (my father is Italian), anyway, the question is:
Am I eligible to use Irish healthcare system since I never paid any taxes to Italy and I don't hold any Medical Card. I am working now in Ireland and paying taxes here, so I am assuming I have the right to use it...
All the information I found on internet and asking people were not clear enough, I'm still confused.
Another thing, should I buy a health insurance? Which one is the best? (cost X benefit)

PS.: Which is the best public hospital in Dublin?

If someone could please help me, do it!

Thanks guys

Bakemate

If you have Italian citizenship, then you are an EU citizen, whether you have paid taxes there or not. This means if you are resident and working in Ireland you will be entitled to the public health service. This means you will be charged €75 per night in a public hospital and the rest is free.
I can't tell you which public hospital is best. I suppose this is a matter of opinion! If you are taken by ambulance to A+E, you will go to whatever hospital the ambulance is assigned to that night anyway.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/entitlement_to_health_services/entitlement_to_public_health_services.html

If you decide you are not happy with public hospital cover only, or you would like to access private care in public hospitals too, then you can look at your options on www.hia.ie All the plans on the market are listed here and if you look through a few, it will give you an idea of costs and benefits.
Private health insurance will allow you to access a semi-private or private room in a public or private hospital, you can choose your own consultant, you will have access to more consultants and you can get seen faster than you would in the public service in most cases. It's really a personal choice on whether you buy health insurance. It all depends on how much faith you have in the public service, whether you have health issues and if you can afford it.
You should also be aware there are waiting periods before you will be fully covered, so if you're only here short-term, it might not be worth it for you.

http://www.hia.ie/consumer-information/waiting-periods/new-customer-waiting-periods/

Xamineh

Bakemate wrote: »

If you have Italian citizenship, then you are an EU citizen, whether you have paid taxes there or not. This means if you are resident and working in Ireland you will be entitled to the public health service.....

Thank you! I also sent an e-mail to Italian consulate and this is what they answered:

'As an European Citizen you may avail of health services in Ireland but you must have an European Health Card that if you had lived in Italy you would have one with you. If you have never lived in Italy you will have to refer to your Italian Embassy in Brasil to check if they can request one for you or if it is relative to having had residency in Italy.

If you do not have this card then you may not be entitled to health cover in Ireland or you would have to check with your Brasilian Embassy what agreements there are between the two countries.'

So, that means I need to have this card...

Bakemate

The EHIC is for people travelling in Europe, not for living in Ireland or another EU country. If you're working and living here and are considered resident, then you are entitled to the public health care system regardless of whether you hold an EHIC. In fact, if you're living in Ireland, you can get an EHIC from your local health office in Ireland and use it for travelling through Europe. I have many non Irish EU friends who do this.

www.ehic.ie

If you ring Citizens Information (0761 074000) they'll confirm all this for you.