The Superintendence of Health Services, the body responsible for the regulation and control of prepaid medicine companies, has announced the exit of Asistencia Médica Norte SA from the market. The company was discharged from the National Registry of Prepaid Medicine Entities (RNEMP) through Resolution 40/2024 published in the Official Bulletin. The decision was made after an analysis which determined that the brand does not register presentations or complaints in relation to the Management of Attention and User Services of the Health System, as well as lawsuits in progress or pending resolution with the Health Services User Ombudsman.
As a result, the 357 active users who were part of the Northern Medical Assistance registry will be transferred to the Argentine Mutual Association (MEDYCIN) starting October 1, 2024. The determination comes amidst the economic deregulation of the prepaid medicine sector, with entities announcing important fee increases. Companies like Right Now, Doctor, Galen, and Swiss Medical have all communicated fee increases ranging from 27.5% to 29.4% due to various factors including high inflation, increases in medication, variations in the exchange rate, and the update of fees for professionals among other costs.
Claudio Belocopitt, owner of Swiss Medical and president of the Argentine Health Union (UAS), justified the fee increases by stating that the prepaid companies need to leave the “hyper-regulated system” that has been in place for 17 years. According to Belocopitt, the recomposition of the sector’s costs will be gradual and clarified that “It is not the prepaid medicine that increases, but the inputs that make up the system.”