The Government published this Thursday the decree that formalized the changes to the advance payment adjustment system. The new regulation will be valid for 18 months and will enter into force on 1 February 2023.
As specified in the Decree 743/2022, published in the latest edition of Official bulletin with the signature of Alberto Fernandez and his entire Cabinet of Ministers, this provision is based on the «premise that it is the obligation of the State to implement policies that discourage inflationary inertia which affects the normal development of businesses and citizens ”, in particular“ the sectors of work and production that seek to be protected ”.
“Specific regulations need to be established for sectors requiring greater protection which encourages a maximum limit on the decoupling of contracts from the general price increase “, underlines the document.
In this sense, it is established in Article 1 that, starting from 1 February 2023 and for a period of 18 months, “the increase in the value of the installments of the individual voluntary membership contracts” will have as maximum limit “90% of the average taxable remuneration of permanent workers of the month published immediately preceding “.
Meanwhile, it is clear that “this measure will be applied to the contractors who have net profit less than six minimum wages, viable and mobile (SMVM)“.
If more than 6 SMVMs are received, the quota value will be adjusted to the current Healthcare cost index, which debuted last August. This index combines the evolution of drug costs (12.2%) according to a list prepared by the Ministry of Health, medical supplies (17.2%), salaries set by parity (52.4%) and general expenses (18.2%), prepared by the Superintendence of Health Services. And it applies every two months.
As required by Article 2, Prepaid Medicine Companies “must offer users, starting from January 1, 2023, coverage plans identical to the one they currently have without a copay, with the inclusion of level 1 copays” (outpatient) and level 2 (low complexity outpatient and inpatient services, “at a price of at least 25% less than the plan without copays”.
According to INDEC records, due to increased informality and increased costs of health plans, the population covered by social assistance or private medicine has decreased.
Prepaid: monthly increases starting February 1st
In this same edition of the Official Gazette, the Ministry of Health has published Resolution 2577/2022, which authorizes, starting from 1 February 2023, “monthly increases in the value of the taxes of Prepaid Medicine Bodies registered in the National Register of Prepaid Medicine Entities (RNEMP) according to the latest published variation of the Health Cost Index “.
“In the case of employees in a dependent relationship, the limit of the increase provided for by article 1 of decree no. 743/22 will apply to the remuneration actually paid for the upper floor they have contracted “, clarifies art. 3rd.
Finally, Prepaid Medicine Bodies and Health Insurance Agents are obliged to “increase the salary values of medical assistance services provided to their beneficiaries and users” by at least 90% “of the percentage increase in their income by way of prepaid medical compensation or joint negotiations “.
At the end of October, Cristina Kirchner went through the government to authorize a new increase in prepaid, which brought the annual increase to 114 percent.
“It is frankly unacceptable the new increase, this time of two figures (13.8%), which the government has authorized to prepay drug companies, and which in this way adds to the 114% annual increase granted. 20% more annualized inflation, “he said.
The message was published by the vice president on social media, a few hours after it became known that the Superintendence of health services, which depends on the Ministry of Health, led by Carla Vizzotti, has authorized a ninth increase so far for prepaid this year.
After criticism from Vice President Cristina Kirchner and then from Economy Minister Sergio Massa, the private health sector agreed with the government to double the increase of 13.8%.
The increase, therefore, will be 6.9% in December and 6.9% in January, and with this split, in 2022 instead of 113.8%, the increase in installments, December 2021 / December 2022, will be 100.9%.
IS
Source: Clarin
