Today the day started at Austral University with a lecture from Gabriel Novick, focusing on the Public health sector of the Argentine health system. He began by noting the main challenges within the sector, including a need for greater funding due to inflation, employment demand, and fragmentation within the hospital systems. I noted that the overflow that many hospitals experience is due to the movement of citizens from the outskirts of the city, or providences, into the main city for an increase in access to healthcare. This poses as an issue because the inner-city hospitals are funded by city taxes, so the residents of the providences don’t contribute to the hospital’s income where they receive care. However, the constitution of 1994 states that healthcare is universal and undeniable to any citizen, so the hospitals must accommodate. After stopping in for lunch at a corner cafe, I returned to Austral for Gabriel Leverstein’s, the head of the Commerce Union, presentation on the composition of coverage. It was interesting to me when Leverstein shared that only the unions can go into bankruptcy, while all other sectors are government funded. The income for the unions comes primarily from employers, employees, and out of pocket. However, the quality of care is much greater, which was revealed through the statistic that private hospitals perform 6-8 surgeries per OR per day, whereas public hospitals average 0.9 surgeries. The pricing of Leverstein’s union seemed somewhat affordable at $5.70 a month, but recently, due to inflation, the rate rose to $13.80 every month. While this rate is more than twice as much as previously, the customers are entitled to $30 a month in healthcare coverage. The union system serves as a safety net because it covers Argentinians in cases of accident and illness for higher quality care. As for the families of those who are part of the union, spouses and children are only provided for once they become sick on an as-needed basis. While in the U.S. all members of the family would have their own care plan, the Argentine model still supports all members of the family in times of need. Another aspect of the union system is the presence of piqueteros, which are groups of workers who participate in protests or social movements in order to gain healthcare coverage. The piqueteros would block the streets to gain power, much like a union protest, which is considered a form of informal employment. Overall, today was very eye-opening to how different the healthcare system is in Argentina in comparison to the United States. While I don’t have a great understanding of business concepts, I very much enjoyed learning about the hospital systems and unions today. Finally, the group went on a bus tour around the city on a cultural excursion. I had the pleasure of learning about the city’s architecture, specifically how it was inspired by Spanish, French, Italian, and Swiss immigrants. My favorite building that we visited was the Metropolitan Cathedral. It was so beautiful and the attention to every detail from floor to ceiling was unfathomable. Day three was a big success, and I can’t wait to see what the next week brings.