Can you obtain a tessera sanitaria (health card) through the questura? Does this imply that insurance is required, or can it be issued simply as a document even if you don’t sign up for an equivalent of OMS?
Detailed analysis of the topic: Processing times at the questura (police headquarters) in Italian cities, documents, status
You can get a temporary tessera (tessera sanitaria) on request — I did. But each comune handles it differently; you just need to go to the ASL with your documents and ask them directly. The tessera is a full-fledged document with a codice fiscale, not just for medical care — you’ll be asked for it in many places later.
Long story short, you can get the temporary one via the ricevuta (receipt — ричевуте), but every comune interprets it differently. I had health insurance from my visa D for six months; I was wondering if it even made sense to get a temporary tessera (тессеру) if later I’d already have a full/regular residence permit (ВНЖ). In the end I just went to the ASL and asked directly — they told me that in my case it’s easier to wait.
My insurance for the D visa was accepted everywhere; I never ended up getting the temporary one.