Has the national government provoked the health system?

In addition to the explanations about the reasons that lead to the real collapse of the health system, the former minister, former director of Social Security and former president of the Colombian Association of Comprehensive Medicine Companies (ASIMI), Jaime Arias, spoke with Portafoglio about the facts that, in their opinion, the future of the system is dark and uncertain.

(See: Compensar's voluntary liquidation: Could other EPS follow this path?)

What's going on?

The government itself pushed the regime to collapse. The president lost his mind when Congress failed to pass the bill. He pressured the supervisory body to make hasty decisions on EPS. But in doing so he sent a very negative message to the entire system.
The government has expedited this. Compensar is one of the best EPS, without a doubt, and others come in the series. I have the impression that there are two or three good ones that will go down as well.

The serious thing about this is that there is no longer a place to send members, because at this moment no EPS members will receive them. The disaster of the system has already occurred and was produced by Dr. Petro.

What can be done in the face of this crisis?

The poor member has nothing to do but bear the blow. The government caused the crisis when it started to stop paying dividends. Although it is an old problem, it is not even this government. But previous states always solved the problem one way or another. Several income distribution companies intervened, but they were able to transfer residents to others who took them in, including Compensar and Sanitas.

This may end up being what the president himself predicted, which is the cards falling out. The financial position of all earnings per share, except for one or two that have been saved; terrible. The losses they estimate for this year are double what they lost in the previous two years. The government has taken away the oxygen from them to produce what they have already accomplished which will be very difficult for the country.

(For more news: How has the Colombian health system performed over the past 10 years?)

Will an economic emergency be needed?
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Suddenly there was money, at least to cover the outstanding payments. Previous governments were like that. Duque's government passed what he called the End Point Law and pumped $6 billion into the system. Others did the same. This is not an economic emergency problem. The money had to be found and it was in the budget, but this government did not want to use it. This is something that destroys and does not build.

What will be the intentions? Reformation?
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He has already said he will enforce the matter the hard way. These reforms represent a complex and sensitive issue for 50 million Colombians, and they cannot be imposed the hard way, hastily, or improvised.
The government doesn't have the formula. Its only formula is to destroy what exists. Creating this system that they thought with health reform was ridiculous. Fortunately, he fell.

There are no formulas, and if there are, the government does not want to implement them. We are facing a dramatic situation with what happened last week, plus the compensator. This week could continue. We are facing a dramatic situation.

(Continue reading: Superservicios puts magnifying glass on water service rationing in Bogotá)

What is the future?
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black. The future of the health sector is black. The government has already done its duty to destroy, and it will be very difficult to come back. The government is unable to manage. Petro didn't do that with Capital Salud when he was mayor, let alone that he would run these two companies that he just got involved in, which have 25 million members. The future is bleak for patients, the system, and everyone.

Diana K. Rodriguez T.
Portfolio journalist