High health plan is twice the inflation

Health plan prices grew 382% between 2000 and 2018, while health sector inflation (excluding plans and personal care) advanced 180%. In the same period, the official inflation of the country, measured by the broad consumer Price index (IPCA), increased by 208%. It shows a survey of the Institute of Economic and Applied Research (IPEA), released yesterday. Per year, the average growth rate of care plans was 8.71%, while industry prices advanced 5.51% and IPCA, 5.96%. The study was conducted by researchers Carlos Ocké, Eduardo Fiuza and Pedro Coimbra. According to Ocké, one of the explanations for the expressive high in these years is the absence of a regulation of corporate collective plans. Advertising The National Agency for Supplementary Health (ANS) currently regulates only the individual and family health plans, which are only 20% of the market. The other 80% correspond precisely to the collectives that are without regulation. The disparity between the values practiced by private health operators and the income of the population – which has fallen a lot with the economic crisis – has caused, between 2015 and 2018, more than 3 million people to leave medical care plans. The IPEA research also shows that the health plans were indirectly sponsored with subsidies in the amount of R $14.1 billion in 2016, originating from the reduction of the income tax (IRPF) and the legal entity (IRPJ). "In a fiscal restriction scenario, the government should pay attention to this fact, especially in the face of complaints about abusive adjustments," says Ocké.