Rising Private Medicine Quotas in Argentina: Impact on Middle Class and Health Service Accessibility

2023-06-05 03:34:54

With the increase of 6.9% in January and the six adjustments with a new criterion, the accumulated rise in the first 7 months of the year will reach 52.8%.

Private medicine quotas will accumulate an increase of 52.8% in the first seven months of the year, parallel to what is expected from inflation, while thousands of affiliates must cancel the service because they cannot pay the fee.

Besidesthree out of ten prepaid affiliates also use the public hospital, due to the lack of specialists in the booklet and delays of more than two months to give a turn.

With the increases in June (5.49%) and July (8.49%), an average family plan for a married couple with 2 minor children may be between $110,000 and $150,000 per month.

It is estimated that the sector (the sum of prepaid plus Obras Sociales del Personnel Management) has 6 million beneficiaries (owner and family group) of which 20% are volunteers or “direct direct”) and the rest correspond to workers that derive their contributions to a social work that has an agreement with the
prepaid, reported Noticias Argentinas.

Making history, the fees for prepaid medicine plans increased 3,544% between 2012 and 2022, well above the inflation registered in that period, according to a survey by the Association for the Defense of Users and Consumers (Deuco).

“If we add the ten years, prepaid medicine always increased more than the CPI: the CPI between 2012 and 2022 increased 2,467% and prepaid rose 3,544% in that period,” said the president of Deuco, Pedro Bussetti.

In many specialties, doctors began to collect copayments, some authorized by the prepaid and others directly by agreement with patients, who prefer to pay a little more but have a turn to attend.

Thus, the high inflation scenario is also deteriorating the health insurance service, one of the most required by the middle classes, who seek to escape from the public hospitals usually overflowing with people, especially in the Buenos Aires suburbs.

The income of the middle class deteriorates

With the increase of 6.9% in January and the six adjustments with a new criterion, the accumulated increase in the first 7 months of the year will reach 52.8%, for whom the health cost index is applied. For those who receive less than 6 minimum wages, the January-July rise will be 42.7%.

In the first quarter, inflation was 32%. If you add an estimated cost of living of 9% in May, June and July it will be around 60%.

While the bills are arriving with the June 5.49% increase in private medicine quotas, affiliates will receive another notification: the July increase will be 8.49% for everyone equally.

This will be so because the Health Cost Index is less than 90% of the variation in formal wages (RIPTE), which is the indicator used to set the increase in the quota for those who earn less, according to the Superintendence of Health Services.

Decree 743/2022 that set the differentiated increases (which debuted in February) establishes that 90% of the RIPTE acts as a ceiling for those who receive less than 6 Minimum Vital and Mobile Wages (SMVM) in relation to the Health Cost Index. Those who earn more than 6 SMVM are applied the rise in the Cost Index.

So, this cap was applied in February, March and May, because the Health Cost Index was 8.21%, 7.66% and 4.76% respectivelyand those who earn the least were applied 4.91%, 5.04% and 3.43%.

In April and June, this cap was not applied because the Health Cost Index was 5.49% and 90% of the RIPTE was 7.58%. And in July, it will not be applied either because the Health Costs Index is 8.49% and 90% of the RIPTE was 8.78%.

To carry out these calculations for the increase in June, the RIPTE for March is taken, which was 9.76%.

How costs are estimated

The Health Cost Index combines the evolution of the costs of medicines (12.2%) according to a list prepared by the Ministry of Health, medical supplies (17.2%), salaries set by the parities ( 52.4%) and general expenses (18.2%), which are prepared by the SSSalud.

For his part, Prepaid medical entities and obras sociales must increase the values ​​of the benefits medical-assistance provided to the beneficiaries of the prepaid and social works by the clinics, sanatoriums and professionals in at least 90% of the percentage increase in their income according to the fees received.

This, according to many providers, is not occurring at the appropriate levels, which further complicates the provision of services.

Meanwhile, due to the greater informality and increased costs of health plans, the population that has the coverage of a social work or private medicine decreased.

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