'Italians abroad pay for healthcare, undocumented immigrants don't,' says La Verità.

"Expatriates pay for healthcare, undocumented immigrants don't." This phrase summarizes the editorial in which the director of the Italian newspaper... The La VeritàMaurizio Belpietro criticized the law that charges Italians living abroad 2.000 euros per year for access to the public health system.

In the text, Published on Thursday, June 11, 2026.Belpietro classifies the rule as discrimination and contrasts it with the free service that, according to him, the public service guarantees to undocumented immigrants. The Senate definitively approved the law on June 9th.

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Belpietro acknowledges that it is fair to charge those who live abroad and pay taxes in another country. The problem, in his view, arises when compared to migrants without residency permits.

He writes that the measure "becomes discrimination" against people who have lived in Italy for years and paid taxes there. According to the director, young people who emigrate for study or work also end up bearing medical expenses in the country.

According to Belpietro, foreigners without permission receive care from the public service regardless of income or residence. He invokes Article 32 of the Italian Constitution, which defines health as a fundamental right.

The director also cites a decision by Constitutional Court which, in his interpretation, ensured assistance to a foreigner with a disability even without proper authorization. He summarizes the situation as an inverted world, in which the motto "Italians first" has given way to "foreigners first".

The rule amends Article 19 of Law 833 of 1978.This applies to those registered with AIRE who reside in countries outside the European Union and EFTA, such as Brazil. The fee of 2.000 euros entitles the holder to a health card and cannot be paid in installments.

Minors and pensioners who have taxes withheld at source in Italy are exempt. The author of the proposal, Deputy Andrea Di Giuseppe (Fratelli d'Italia, by the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni)He defends the law as a historical correction and denies that it punishes emigrants.