IOMA explained why it will start charging copayments

Last week, IOMA announced in a press release the update of the co-payments to be paid by the members of the most important health insurance company in the province of Buenos Aires.

"It is reported that IOMA is updating the value of the co-payments that members must pay for outpatient medical or health care services and explained that "in the last few years, the health insurance company has worked constantly and steadily to reduce or absorb these costs with 100% coverage for certain benefits and medicines, but the economic situation imposed by the National Government since December 2023 obliges it to update the amounts in force, in order to maintain the levels of access and quality of care for other benefits", they said.

And they pointed out: "In this way, it is informed that as from March 4, the Category A bonus will be worth 1,500 pesos; while the co-payment for Category B professionals will be 2,500 pesos and 3,500 pesos for Category C professionals, in all the districts of the Buenos Aires territory".

IOMA's explanation and the stick for Milei

The economist Laura Testa, advisor to the presidency of IOMA, was in charge of explaining the context of the measure at greater length.

In a text published on IOMA's website, she details that "IOMA's management (2019 - 2023) reconfigured the service provided to its affiliates in different aspects. The health insurance company had managed to clean up the accounts and the deficit it had inherited in 2019 and also to expand the coverage of services, recovering, in this period, the quality of care for its affiliated universe".

And sentences: "In the first months of 2024, and as it is public knowledge, the economic policies of the national government of Javier Milei imposed since December 2023, have led to a deep crisis not only to the health system, but also affecting society as a whole".

"IOMA's main objective is to continue covering 100% of the consumption of high-cost medicines and treatments that, in no way, is it possible for their expenses to be borne by the affiliated persons nor can they be interrupted," he adds.

To give an example -they point out- a standard oncological treatment (without complications) in September 2023 had a monthly cost per member of $1,268,611 and in February 2024 it became $3,436,539. As for a standard diabetes treatment (without complications) with the use of test strips, in September 2023 it was $147,174 monthly per member and in February it increased to $348,821. That is to say that between September and February the increase in treatment was 170% and 137% respectively, when inflation in that period was 114%.

"It is in this framework, the policies implemented by the national government force the social work to redefine the financial economic management and to adopt measures that can guarantee the continuity of the solidarity system that is the basis of sustenance of IOMA", added the economist.