Originally Posted by
tkelvin69
Can you pay out of pocket for elective care or do you have to be a resident? I'm traveling around the world for a year or two and will be in Italy when it is time to renew some prescriptions and get a couple lab tests.
You can certainly pay out of pocket. There are a lot of private practitioner doctors. Many doctors work within the health care system for 20 years, then retire with something like 80% salary for life, then open up an even more lucrative practice. Medications in Italy are not cheap if not within the health care system, so perhaps your USA health care company can give you a, "Travel Waiver" and give you extra medications for the trip. I do it all the time. It might work. Otherwise, there plenty of private practice doctors in Italy, and most speak english.