Obtaining a European Health Insurance Card

Greetings:

I am a US citizen and resident and have recently received my Italian citizenship. I have been accepted into a 9 month masters program in Sweden. I'm told that I can obtain a European Health Insurance Card or TEAM (Tessera Sanitaria di Assicurazione Malattia) that will cover me everywhere in the EU. Unfortunately I don't yet speak the language well enough to call anyone in Italy to discuss the matter. I may be wrong but my understanding is that I need to actually go to the city that I am registered in and make a request there. I will not be able to do that due to time considerations. Does anyone have any better information on obtaining a TEAM or how I might be able to do so from the states?