CNS says it opposes the creation of popular health plans proposed by the minister.

Aline Leal, reporter for Agência Brasil - The National Health Council (CNS) has spoken out against the proposal by the Minister of Health, Ricardo Barros, to create popular health plans, cheaper and with less coverage, as a way to relieve pressure on and finance the public health system. According to the council's president, Ronald Ferreira dos Santos, what the Unified Health System (SUS) needs is more public resources. [Image caption: Elza Fiuza/Agência Brasil]

During statements made during a council meeting this afternoon (6), council members said that implementing the proposal would create a health plan "for the poor," which would not solve the problems of the country's health system and would weaken the public network. All council members who spoke during the meeting were against the proposal, arguing that the State should offer quality public health for all with the taxes paid by citizens. "We understand the need for the State to invest a larger amount of public resources," Santos argued.

Lack of management and planning are cited by the council president as problems of the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System), but he emphasizes that the central issue is that the amount of R$ 3 reais per person, per day, is insufficient to carry out all types of health actions. "The efficiency of the SUS is unquestionable. It's a system that, with R$ 90 per month, per person – which is what the Brazilian State makes available to the SUS – manages to serve approximately 200 million Brazilians with transplants, vaccinations, SAMU (Mobile Emergency Care Service), pharmaceutical assistance, and sanitary surveillance. The problem is that with R$ 3 reais/day, you can't even pay for the bus fare to get there," he said. According to Santos, other developed countries with public health systems invest seven to ten times more than Brazil in health per capita.

During the meeting, Barros said that since its creation, the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System) has been underfunded, and a real solution to this problem needs to be found. "The SUS has always been underfunded, and we have to live with this difficulty. What is paid for supplementary health insurance helps to finance the SUS deficit," said the minister.

Barros stated that he has not yet discussed the plan model with the National Supplementary Health Agency – the agency responsible for regulating health plans – but suggested that they should have lower prices and coverage. "Everything not covered by the plan will be covered by the SUS (Brazilian public healthcare system). Today, the owner of the best plan, when they have an accident, the SAMU (emergency medical service) takes them to a public hospital. I want that hospital to receive from the plan what it spent on treating that patient. I want the plans to contribute to the public health system," the minister emphasized.