The Government estimates that
private medicine fees should be reduced
, on average,
by 33%
as a result of the measures adopted.
This 33% is explained because the Government calculated that on average prepaid payments increased by 151% in April from the December quota and the accumulated inflation for this month - estimating a 10% increase in the INDEC CPI -
would show 66. 76%
. This
difference between the rise in inflation and fees represents 33%.
According to the Government, “the measure (advance protection within the framework of the Law on Defense of Competition) takes back the increases that occurred in December of last year and
authorizes prepaid companies to apply, at most, the consumer price index for the calculation of any increase”
(affiliate fee for December plus the CPI for the first 4 months of the year).
Consequently,
the 33% reduction in the quota may be greater or less depending on the effective increase during the first 4 months
of the year.
Thus, whoever had a fee of $200,000 in December and in April should pay $502,000 (+ 151%), with this measure they will have a fee of $333,520, that is, a difference of less than $168,480. The $333,520 represents 33% less than the $502,000.
In the prepaid they say that regarding the increases made to their members,
clinics, sanatoriums, laboratories, doctors, nurses received increases above inflation
. Consequently, they opened a question: whether they will also be able to adjust downward the tariffs and fees they pay to these entities and professionals. That would produce
another conflict
, in that case with the companies and professionals that appear on each prepaid card.
Until December, when the Government deregulated the prepaid market and allowed prepaid companies to freely set the value of the rates, the fees were adjusted monthly according to a
Health Cost Index
prepared by the Superintendency of Health Services (SSalud) for which They earned more than 6 Minimum Vital and Mobile Wages (SMVM) or 90% of the RIPTE (Taxable Remuneration of Stable Workers) for the rest (Income less than 6 SMVM).
Prepaid medicine
installment calculator
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Calculation method:
value of the prepaid installment for December 2023 x CPI Jan. (20.6%) x CPI Feb. (13.2%) x CPI Mar. (11.0%)
Infographic:
Clarín
The Health Cost Index took into account the incidence of expenses on personnel (human resources), medications, supplies and general expenses.
In return, the previous Government granted
tax and pension benefits
to health companies in exchange for this mechanism for setting the increase in fees. According to decree 478/2023, for example, health companies were
exempt
from September 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, inclusive,
from the payment of employer contributions
received by the Argentine Integrated Pension System (SIPA). - ANSeS.
In December, the adjustment based on the Health Cost Index-RIPTE was eliminated, and
companies were given freedom to set the value of the fees.
On the other hand, through a DNU the Government resolved that
prepaid companies can act as social works,
eliminating the intermediation of a related social work when deriving mandatory contributions to Social Security or directly recruiting new members.
NE