2024-03-04 04:30:18
03/03/2024
With two lines of the insurance business under its supervision, the voluntary (vehicle, home, civil liability insurance) and the mandatory (social security EPS and ARL), Suramericana recorded revenues of $27.3 billion the previous year, a figure greater than $23 .1 trillion reported in 2022.
Juana Francisca Llano, president of the company, highlighted that profits totaled $511,704 million, an amount that exceeded the $490,377 million of 2022. But, how are these numbers obtained in a context of high inflation, high interest rates and low growth of the economy?
“It is the consistency in the company’s strategy of providing well-being and competitiveness to people,” responds the businesswoman, who insists that the focus is on providing relevant and accurate services, through a channel of advisors and brokers that is professionalized. .
Likewise, he clarified that the profit was impacted by the divestments carried out in Argentina and El Salvador. “If that effect is removed, the profit would have been $631,000 million,” Llano explained.
And, what is the consequence of the losses of $223,000 million that the EPS Sura exercise showed? “We would be talking about a profit of $854,000 million. But, divestments are only counted once, and those of the EPS are not,” he added.
Suramericana has a presence in 8 countries, where 23,000 employees serve some 20 million users, through thirty companies over which it exercises control.
Reform atmosphere
In recent days, the future of the EPS Sura, which is responsible for 5.3 million users, has raised concerns, given that its eventual conversion to a health manager has emerged, in line with some of the proposals of the reform to the health promoted in Congress by the government of President Gustavo Petro.
“We are relevant actors in the health system and we are seeking conversations not only with the Government, but with all those involved in these issues,” declared Llano, who noted that the tight financial situation of the sector is an issue that has been on the table. for years.
Among the proposals analyzed by Suramericana is to accept that its EPS be a health and life manager, but under its own characteristics, which are currently the subject of discussion.
“What we are looking for with this role as managers is to be able to maintain the knowledge that the EPS have acquired around health risk management, that is, knowing how to segment the population, establish care routes (for diabetics, hypertensives, pregnant women), make smart purchases of medicines, among other things,” he commented.
Obviously, a good part of the discussion involves the definancing of the health system. “Is it up to a private actor to continue supporting health financing? From the perspective of Suramericana this should not be like that, the financing of the system should be headed by the State, which is the one that has the capacity to assume the volatilities,” the president emphasized.
With the balance in the red of $223,000 million in 2023 and losses of $138,000 in 2022, the equity of EPS Sura is negative (about $40,000 million), but the decision of Suramericana, 100% owner of the health entity, is that is not going to capitalize it.
“We need to have adequate conditions to make the decision to invest again in the EPS,” emphasized Llano, who recalled that for maximum budgets the Government owes him about $340,000 million, incurred in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Added to this are balances corresponding to the insufficiency of the Capitation Payment Unit (UPC), for which at least three lawsuits have been filed to claim.
Despite the negative equity observed by EPS Sura, Llano insisted that today there are adequate technical reserves to meet commitments with clinics, hospitals and all providers.
Here the obligatory question that users ask themselves is simple: How long will there be EPS Sura? To which the president of Suramericana responds: “We are doing everything possible so that they have this EPS for many more years. If the EPS Sura has to make another decision, it will not leave them in a vacuum. We are working to stay here, and if we change our nature and become a manager we will also do everything so that our users remain in the best hands.”
And although the articles of the health reform project contain the figure of health managers, this does not correspond to what Suramericana believes it should be.
“The position of the EPS Sura has been clear and widely reported: health needs a reform that resolves its financing, accessibility in the territories, the availability of human talent in health and models of promotion and prevention. A reform that also recognizes the progress and achievements we have achieved: universality, coverage, solidarity, financial protection of the user, comprehensive representation of the affiliate and articulation between the public and the private. Being a relevant actor in the system requires positions and actions regarding the reform that is currently being processed before the Congress of the Republic, which is why conversations have been generated with providers, users, opinion leaders, businessmen, social sector, congressmen and representatives. of the National Government to expose the coincidences, differences and proposals of the EPS Sura,” reads a statement published last Wednesday.
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