Today we went to the city campus of Austral University! We had a couple lectures today all about very interesting and important concepts. First, we had someone come in from OMINT insurance, which is a private health insurance company and he talked about how it works overall. Next, two people came from AMTENA. This was a very interesting organization, they described themselves as helping bridge the gap between public and private insurance. They work mainly in an area near Salta, Argentina in a place where many indigenous people live and do not have easy access to care. They showed many stories of the amazing work they have done. For example, one was about a little girl whose foot was turned medial, and the representative explained how normally this is something fixed at birth, but this girl was probably 7 or 8, so she had lived her life with this. But because of AMTENA they came in and provided the surgery and care she needed and she was even able to run around like a typical kid. This was just one of the many heartwarming stories that the representatives shared with us. Then, the second part of this presentation focused on how they receive funding, support, and other resources to keep this organization running.
After this, we broke for lunch. I got to go to an amazing cafe that smelled so good. I got a sandwich that was so good, then we also got some coffee. Then, we came back for our last presentation of the day, which was a lecture combined with a workshop of how each group with different goals would design a hospital and manage it in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing I found interesting was learning more about prepaid insurance companies and Obras Sociales because this can be a difficult concept to grasp. Even though both systems provide healthcare coverage, they work in different ways. Obras Sociales are connected to labor unions and employment. People receive this coverage through their jobs. Prepaid insurance companies, like OMINT, are private organizations that people choose to pay into separately as their main form of healthcare or even for additional coverage. Prepaid insurance often seemed more flexible and based on personal choice, while Obras Sociales felt more connected to employment and worker support. Even though these systems are different, learning about both made me realize how many different parts make up Argentina’s healthcare system.
