In the days in which this note is written,
the prepaid companies should have defined the increase that they will impose on the March fees
, an increase that they must notify their members 30 days in advance.
However, of seven entities consulted, only one responded and asked not to be mentioned, arguing that they use
imprecise definitions
.
The increase they foresee, although it is far from being generalized, will serve as an example of the lesser evil for the pockets of the
more than 6 million prepaid affiliates
, who based on what they paid in December already had an increase of 75% .
If we emphasize that what follows below cannot be taken in a general way, it is for two reasons.
The first is that Javier Milei's decree allowed entities to adjust their quotas without any official authorization, so that
each one can impose the percentages it pleases
.
It must be remembered that in the first two months of the year, the companies agreed to adjustments that were not identical but in a “scheduled” range, which generated
complaints of “cartelization” of the sector
.
From the Civic Coalition, for example, they pointed out that there was not really competition between the actors but rather an “abuse.”
And everything occurred in a context of various judicial protections.
It is a very difficult topic because two incompatible realities coexist.
Whoever takes the time to look at the accounts reported by any small health company (without apparent ostentatious ambitions) will see that the increases in these months can be justified in minutes, always in terms of keeping the wheels of a business moving, something that cannot be It has to be "bad", of course.
But the point is that this business is dedicated to
a topic that is too sensitive for life: health
.
At the same time, looking at the scale of possibilities of a typical family of the (now) former Argentine middle class, the increases in January and February were painful, they felt excessive and without a doubt they are proving expulsive for many families who entrusted their health to these companies.
This reality (in which a company that one fed day and night for years, one day simply "discards" you) cannot be denied either.
Returning to the axis of these lines (the March increase), each company today can increase whatever it sees fit, and due to the commotion of the cartelization accusation, several of the six that did not respond to
Clarín
highlighted that “in any case, each "one decides what is theirs separately."
An emphatic way to detach yourself from any label in the direction of posterization.
The second reason why an increase cannot be generalized was explained by the only source that spoke with this medium.
He said that today two logics of increases prevail
: one harder and another, one could say, "light."
Inaccuracies about prepaid installments
“There are no definitions.
We are watching and it will be finalized this week.
It is a topic that we do not discuss among ourselves,” clarified the person who responded to this medium, and added: “What I can tell you is that there are two logics.
On the one hand there is the
economic criterion
;
on the other, the
commercial criterion
”.
The economic criterion is that of the largest companies, which, apart from inflation,
try to recover the points lost in the last year
, when for some months the Government allowed increases in quotas well below the increases in the sector, including inputs. , medications and salaries.
The commercial criterion, this person said, focuses not only on corporate social responsibility but also on
the fear of smaller companies of losing their customer base
.
It is a luxury that they cannot afford, since they do not have the back of large companies.
“Recover what was lost?
It will be done little by little.
In March
we are going to match the fee with inflation
, based on our February projections.
At this moment I have those of two consultants.
One says it will be 18%.
The other, 22%.
We will be within that range
,” she reported.
Accumulation of increases in prepaid
You don't need to know anything about economics to do the calculation.
With 20% for March being the most favorable scenario, and considering the 40% that was applied in January, plus the (according to each company) approximate 25% in February, we immediately reach an
increase of
110%
with respect to the quotas of the prepaid medicine from last December.
In other words,
the fees will exceed doubling
, something that will not surprise those who until December had increases appeased by their income declaration before the (these days, chaotic) Superintendency of Health Services.
Just as they had special increases, these members received
an equally differential slap
with the change of Government.
“My goal in this crisis is
to get through the peak of the storm, which will be in March and April
, when transportation, rates, fuel and schools rise again.
The portfolio of associates must be contained and the assets preserved.
Recovering what was lost is going to be long-term,” the source confessed, not without some concern about the requests for dismissal.
By the way, there are not few.
In the sector they warn that the year-on-year increase in "exiles" from prepaid companies is, today, 100%.
“I give you an example.
Yes, last year, in January, 7,000 capitas left me.
This year I'm missing 14,000.
They are compensated with highs, yes.
But this year we have a record of both,” she revealed.
The solution for many companies, confirmed the person consulted, is the new low-cost plans, "which many are requesting."
In short, if there are two logics for adjusting quotas, it is because “large companies don't care so much about losing a little clientele.”
But not everyone experiences this exodus in the same way: “I hope to be able to come out in pairs.
Matched or just a little smaller.”