Most Italians oppose health care devolution

One in three Italians backs radical health service reform but 75% opposedevolution of health care costs to the regions, says a national survey. Most people rejected the policy adopted by the government of regional cost diversification and called instead for more fairness in the way health care was dispensed, rather than, in the poll's words, "so many regional health care republics."

93.6% favored retaining regional delivery of health care services, while 75.8% opposed cost devolution and 73% said they would not pay an extra contribution, whether in the form of a local tax or regional ticket to qualify for a greater range of health care services.

50% of those polled said they did not believe the government's regionalization policy would have a positive impact on the quality of health care in their own region. There was clear division between the north's more positive judgement on regionalization and the poorer south of the country producing a more negative verdict.