After a long day of lectures and exploring this amazing city, I am back to write another blog post! This morning we had two lectures, the first from the Minister of Health and Sub Secretary of Planning for the city of Buenos Aires, Dr. Daniel Ferrante. His lecture focused on his role as minister for the different sections of healthcare: public, private, and Obras Sociales, which are the unions. The second lecture was from Dr. Gabriel Leverstein, the current leader of the Obra Social de Comercio group, which is the largest and most influential union in Argentina. Dr. Leverstein educated us on the different parts of Obras Sociales, the different ways you can get healthcare through the unions, and some of its positives and negatives. The first, and most simple way you can get healthcare through a union is by having a job. Anyone with a job in Argentina is automatically in its corresponding union. You can also be part of Obras Sociales if you are self employed, but there are a few differences in payments. For example, if you are part of a union due to your job, 3% of your salary and a 6% salary match from your employer is used to pay for healthcare. If you are self-employed or have an informal job, you pay a fee of about $13.80 each payment. The final way you can get insurance through the unions is if you choose to join one and pay for it out of pocket. This is one of the main ways Obras Sociales creates a social safety net for the citizens of Argentina.

Although Argentina has free public healthcare, it can sometimes be accompanied by longer waits for care. For example, in private hospitals, operating rooms complete 6-8 surgeries per day. An operating room in a public hospital completes, on average, 1 surgery per day. This shows that public hospitals are more inefficient than private ones, leading people to have to wait for surgeries they may need more urgently. Allowing citizens to pay for Obras Sociales insurance allows them to get faster and more reliable healthcare. People with insurance through unions either go to hospitals run by their unions or private hospitals contracted to them. The larger and more wealthy unions will have their own hospitals, while the smaller ones most likely have less benefits and either contract or don’t have a specific hospital for their workers to attend. Overall, the Obras Sociales sector of Argentina’s healthcare system provides a social safety net by allowing all citizens the chance at having insurance. This is because of their low payment fees, specific hospitals, and included benefits. When part of a union, you are guaranteed PMO benefits with the possibility of more, and you are able to get quality care faster than in the public sector. Another safety net that the union provides is a large salary. Unions are powerful in Argentina, and they often negotiate inflated wages for their workers. It is hard to fight the unions against these changes, leading to citizens having high salaries. It is also very difficult to fire workers in a union, which shows they provide a job security safety net for citizens. 

After our two lectures, we were on our own for lunch. I went to a small empanada shop called Ricas Empanadas and ordered a ham and cheese as well as a beef empanada. This shop was a couple blocks back from the main roads, so I knew the empanadas I was getting were authentic, and they were so delicious. I will definitely be getting them multiple more times while in Buenos Aires. After lunch, we did a bus tour through multiple neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. The first we went to was The Plaza de Mayo, where we saw the Casa Rosada (where the president works), the Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (where San Martin is buried), and multiple other important landmarks for Argentine history. I love history, so hearing about the different battles and demonstrations that occurred in the plaza was extremely interesting. We also go to see the changing of the guards from the Pink House to the Cathedral. The next neighborhood we went to was San Telmo, where we got to see the San Telmo Market. This market is one of the most popular in Buenos Aires, and it has a variety of different shops and food stands. I definitely need to go back before the trip is over! The last neighborhood we visited, and the most beautiful, was La Boca. La Boca is known for its vibrantly colored buildings, views of the river, and their fútbol team, La Boca Juniors. I absolutely loved this neighborhood, and thought the colorful buildings were unique and so fun! After the tour, I relaxed a little bit at the hotel before going to dinner. I have been trying to eat a lot of different Argentine foods and tonight I had pollo milanesa, a breaded chicken dish. It was good, but honestly just reminded me of a large chicken finger. I cannot wait to continue learning about Argentina’s hospital system and culture tomorrow. See you then!