We started with breakfast at the hotel and then met with Dr. Florencia Ledesma to learn about ASE, one of the Obras Sociales and Medlife, a private insurance company and to compare them. ASE has faced many changes recently with Milei’s new policies. There we talked. We then had a quick lunch, and then drove…
Category: Plus3 Argentina
Day 10 in Argentina
Today we talked with the previous minister of health of the province of Salta, Dra. Josefina Medrano. Salta is a northern mining province. It is a relatively poor province, meaning it does not have enough funds for proper public hospitals. Dra. Medrano was the minister of health during the COVID 19 pandemic, so she had…
A beautiful hospital with a heavy contrast
Day 9 in Buenos Aires! Today, we had a meeting with Dr. Florencia, who taught us about Medife. Medife is an organization that provides health insurance and services to people in Argentina. It is a prepaid medicine company, meaning it is private insurance. We learned about how they also had a partnering organization called ASE…
Behind the Curtain of Argentina’s Healthcare System
We started off the morning with a presentation from Dr. Florencia Ledesma, physician and director of ASE Conecta. We were introduced to Medifé, a national nonprofit prepaid health insurance company, and learned about how it deals with clients, the services it offers, how it contacts doctors. It offers many services including outpatient medical care, hospitalization,…
Inequality in Plain Sight
Today, we started off the day lecture from Dr. Florencia from ASEConecta. This was a really great lesson that showed us the true impact of Milei and his reforms on the healthcare system, specifically the unions. She talked about the difference between Medife, which is a pre-paid health insurance company and ASE, which is an…
Heartbeats and High Stakes
We started our day off with a lecture from Medife, by Dr. Florencia Ledesma, which is a non-profit organization founded in 2010. They are dedicated to building connections between health, education, and culture. It’s led by Jorge Piva (Executive Director) and Daniela Gutierrez (General Manager) while also being based in Buenos Aires, serving the community…
The Privilege of Care
This morning began with a meeting at the offices of Medifé, one of Argentina’s leading private health insurers, now known as a Health Insurance Agent. We met with Dr. Florencia Ledesma, the company’s current Health Innovation manager. She gave us an introduction to the company and its priorities, as well as diving into the current…
Day 9 in Buenos Aires!
We started off Day 9 with a presentation held by Dr. Florencia Ledesma, worker of a private insurance company called Medifé. Medifé is a prepaid plan in which customers can enroll in and a pay monthly fee to gain access to healthcare services, only 14% of the population in Argentina are in a private insurance…
Comparing Hospitals
On our ninth day in Argentina, we started off with a bus ride to attend a presentation from Dr. Florencia Ledesma from Medifé/ASE Obra Social. She began with giving us a review about the difference between the public sector, private sector, and social security (Obras Sociales) system. We then dove more specifically into the relationship…
Some Perspective on Privilege
Started off the day with a visit and lecture from Dr. Florencia Ledesma, a family physician and director of ASE Connecta. ASE has been a key organization in managing healthcare services for workers by acting as an intermediary for healthcare contributions. We learned about the history of ASE and how it has evolved over the…
Day 9: Medifé and ICBA
This morning, we heard from Dr. Florencia Ledesma, a family physician and the Health Innovation Manager at Medifé. Her presentation helped us better understand Argentina’s social security sector, which provides healthcare coverage for approximately 53% of the population. Through this system, workers contribute a portion of their salary to their designated obra social, which then…
Resource Disparities between Public and Private Hospitals
We have conducted many site visits to both public and private hospitals alike. From a provincial hospital in a rough area to a private cardiac hospital owned by one of the most luxurious hospital brands, it is evident that there is a resource disparity between each sector. When we visited the hospital in La Matanza,…
Day 9: Private vs. Public Clinics
Back to hospital tours and meetings today! We started off with a presentation from Dr. Florencia, a representative from ASEConecta. This union was originally created to act as an intermediary for healthcare contributions, but has since adapted to serve as a prepaid insurance provider. These new reforms (due to Milei) allow workers’ contributions to go…
Argentina day 9
Today we got to visit ICBA– private hospital in Buenos Aires. The hospital specializes in cardiovascular care. We had a quick lecture on how the hospital is managed. We looked into the hospitals margins of ROI in comparison to public hospitals in different areas. One thing I noticed is how beautiful the inside of the…
Day 9 – Private v.s Public Healthcare
Today left me with a lot to think about. We started with a short bus ride to ASE, a private insurance company here in Buenos Aires. Originally, they acted as the middleman between healthcare contributors and providers, but over time they shifted their focus. Now, they mostly help companies and employers manage prepaid healthcare plans….
ICBA: Is Care Better (Actually)?
Today was a day that focused on the private sector of the healthcare system and the Obras Sociales. We started our day with a presentation from Dr. Florencia about Medifé. Medifé is a private insurance provider that also had an Obras Sociales called ASE. After Milei’s new policies that affected the Obras Sociales’ role in…
Private Sector and Health Inequity
Today was very focused on the private healthcare sector in Argentina which includes both traditional insurance companies and prepaid plans that are negotiated with hospital networks. In the morning, we had a lecture with Dr. Florencia Ledesma who works for MEDIFE which is a large insurance provider/ executive union in Argentina. In the afternoon we…
Day 9 in Argentina
Today we talked with Dr. Florencia Ledesma, about the difference between in Medife, a private insurance company, and ASE, an Obra Social. The private and union system in the new system designed by Milei are inherently the same. Each offer similar packages dealing with healthcare and both negotiate directly with hospitals. Essentially, both Medlife and…
Differences in the Public and Private Hospitals
Today we got to visit our first real private hospital, ICBA, which is a cardiovascular hospital focusing on preemptive and fast heart care. And from our quick little visit and lecture on how the hospital is run I must say it is one of the most impressive hospitals I have ever seen. It really is…
Exploring Buenos Aires: Art, Architecture, and the Legacy of Perón
Day 8 in Buenos Aires! We started the day with going back to La Boca to enjoy the neighborhood and do some shopping. The weather was perfect and it was very lively. It was fun seeing the area bustling with more vendors, more people walking around, and music. After coming back from La Boca, around…