Health care in Argentina

Argentina's health care system is composed of three sectors: the public sector, financed through taxes; the private sector, financed through voluntary insurance schemes; and the social security sector, financed through obligatory insurance schemes. The Ministry of Health (MSAL), oversees all three subsectors of the health care system and is responsible for setting of regulation, evaluation and collecting statistics.

Spending

In 2015, Argentina spent 8% of its GDP on health care expenditures.[1] A 2011 comparative report found that the average doctor's visit in Argentina cost over $9000.[2]

Health care

In January 2013, the Federal Registry of Health Establishments (Registro Federal de Establecimientos de Salud - REFES) indicated there were 5,012 health establishments operating in Argentina, including hospitals, clinics, and hospices, amongst others. The majority of the establishments (70% or 3,494 establishments) pertain to the private sector.[3]
Buenos Aires (province), in which is found the capital city of Buenos Aires, accounts for 41% (2,047) of all Argentinian health establishments.[4]

Obras Sociales

The public sector is funded and managed by Obras Sociales, umbrella organizations for Argentine worker's unions. There are over 300 Obras Sociales in Argentina, each chapter being organized according to the occupation of the beneficiary. These organizations vary greatly in quality and effectiveness. The top 30 chapters hold 73% of the beneficiaries and 75% of resources Health Care in Latin America.[5] MSAS has established a Solidarity Redistribution Fund (FSR) to try to address these beneficiary inequities. Only workers employed in the formal sector are covered under Obras Sociales insurance schemes and after Argentina’s economic crisis of 2001, the number of those covered under these schemes fell slightly (as unemployment increased and employment in the informal sector rose). In 1999, there were 8.9 million beneficiaries covered by Obras Sociales.[6]

Private sector

The private health care sector in Argentina is characterized by great heterogeneity and is made up of a great number of fragmented facilities and small networks; it consists of over 200 organizations and covers approximately 2 million Argentines.[7] Private insurance often overlaps with other forms of health care coverage, thus it is difficult to estimate the degree to which beneficiaries are dependent on the public and private sectors. According to a 2000 report by the IRBC, foreign competition has increased in Argentina’s private sector, with Swiss, American and other Latin American health care providers entering the market in recent years. This has been accompanied by little formal regulation.[7]

Public system

The public system is highly decentralized to the provincial level; often primary care is even under the purview of local townships. Since 2001, the number of Argentines relying on public services has seen an increase. According to 2000 figures, 37.4% of Argentines had no health insurance, 48.8% were covered under Obras Sociales, 8.6% had private insurance, and 3.8% were covered by both Obras Sociales and private insurance schemes.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.who.int/health_financing/documents/argentina_cavagnero.pdf
  2. ↑ "2011 Comparative Price Report: Medical and Hospital Fees by Country". International Federation of Health Plans. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  3. ↑ Global Health Intelligence, "Global Health Intelligence". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  4. ↑ REFES, "Federal Registry of Health Establishments". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  5. ↑ http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-35159-201-1-DO_ThtshshOPIC.html.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Armando Barrientos "Reforming Health Insurance in Argentina and Chile" Health Policy and Planning 15(4): 420
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 IDRC Reshaping Health Care in Latin Americahttp://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/Pages/IDRCBookDetails.aspx?PublicationID=265.

External links