We started the day with a visit to the Buenos Aires city government, where we had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Daniel Ferrante, the Deputy Minister of Health. It was an honor to hear from someone in such a high-ranking position and gain insight into the city’s healthcare system. Dr. Ferrante shared the challenges of managing a system where the government is responsible for providing healthcare to all citizens, offering a valuable perspective on the public sector from a policy standpoint.
Next, we took a quick bus ride to Austral to meet Dr. Gabriel Leverstein, director of Argentina’s largest union. He broke down the complexities of HMOs, health maintenance organizations, which provide health insurance, and introduced us to the PMO, a federally mandated package of minimum health services that insurance companies must cover. One challenge he discussed is how easily individuals can switch between obras sociales, which can destabilize the system and strain resources.
After lunch, we heard from Dr. Luis Gimenez, former Deputy National Minister of Health, who provided a deeper look into the national Ministry of Health. He outlined its main responsibilities, including overseeing healthcare delivery, regulating drug and product safety, managing national insurance schemes, and defining the structure of medical benefits. Drawing from his time in office from 2017–2019, Dr. Gimenez helped us understand some of the system’s core issues.
Among many challenges faced by the leaders of Obras Sociales is the PMO set by the Ministry of Health. While the Ministry sets a required minimum for coverage, there is no maximum, which leaves room for political manipulation. Politicians can add services to the PMO to gain favor, pushing costs up dramatically. Smaller insurance providers often can’t keep up with the rising expenses, leading to financial instability and exposing one of the system’s biggest vulnerabilities.