Hey again everyone! Today was full of activity! To start things off, I got up at 6:45 again. I had some eggs, cheese, and yogurt (as always). The coffee hurt my stomach initially but then I felt better once we got to Swiss Medical. Anyway, as I said, we first paid another visit to Swiss Medical for another lecture. This time, Dr. Marcela Travaglini was the featured speaker. Dr. Travaglini discussed Mutualism with us. A mutual association essentially aids the people that are members who contribute money to the organization. They offer health services and social assistance to the members and their families across the associations. Mutualities are broken up into sub mutualities where people can easily care for one another that are close together. There are also no free riders in this entity. Everyone within these associations contributes their part in a neighborly way. These also don’t technically fit into the health insurance category, but is still another way of financing healthcare. She emphasized the importance of reciprocal help and how Mutualism works around this concept along with institutional neutrality. It should also be mentioned that these do not operate at a profit, yet these murals still are under the superintendency and must follow regulations of the Ministry of Health. Some practical benefits of joining a mutual would be that you would simply have a way of financing your healthcare. There is also an emphasis placed on solidarity and mutual benefit. These philosophies are inherently attractive for those who seek ethical healthcare. It is also said that each member is equally important and inherently meaningful. You also wouldn’t be dealing with a corporation who solely wants to take your money. 

Afterwards, we went back on the bus to head to the Cardiovascular Institute of Buenos Aires! The entire building looked so futuristic and upscale. The lectures were great. I loved this visit because the doctors talked extensively about their financial strategies. I found this really interesting, as I am a Finance major. I also got to ask a few questions about their contingency planning and strategies. We also got a tour of the facility. We saw the operating room, lounge, and some offices! They were renovating a whole floor to open up another operating center. 

After this visit, we went back to the hotel to eat lunch and get ready for a visit to the Museum of the Immigrants. Ben and I had a pizza and got dressed. We all met in the lobby at 2:45 and headed over!