The government ordered prepaid companies to reduce the price of their premiums and cap future increases.

The national government today ordered that 75% of prepaid pharmaceutical companies Reduce the cost of your installments Since they will have to recalculate the hikes implemented since December using the Consumer Price Index as the basis of calculation. At the same time, the Health Superintendent presented a precautionary measure to the Court to return the money to the users.

Economy Minister, luis caputothe network shows Juan Pazo and Pablo Lavigne did a great job as Commerce Secretaries using institutional tools accordingly and that is certainly a huge relief to the middle class.”

“By order of the Ministry of Economy, a group of prepaid pharmaceutical companies, representing approximately 75% of affiliates, is going to roll back the value of their fees to December 2023, which will be adjusted by the CPI from then on,” it said. declare. Presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni, at his usual press conference.

The spokesperson further explained that the companies ““They will have to apply greater “CPI” to adjust the quota for the next 6 months.” Adorni said the move was taken following a complaint “over alleged factionalism”.

The announcement comes after a strong controversy over the excessive increases implemented by companies since December last year, which are well above normal inflation.

The measure surprised the companies, who assured that they had not participated in any talks with the government and were analyzing what path they could take. In this regard, the Executive warned that although companies can appeal, the solution is already in force and its application does not stop in the event of that type of presentation.

“President Meili’s government is not going to validate speculative moves from any point of view. “Avidda’s Argentina expired last December 10,” Adorni said.

According to official information, the proposal was issued by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce at the request of the National Consumer Defense Commission, which “determined that there are numerous signs of a collusion agreement between the main prepaid pharmaceutical companies in the country”.

The decision establishes that the price of the quota The Consumer Price Index should be calculated with respect to the value for the month of December 2023 by multiplying it by the percentage variation between The general level with national coverage prepared by the National Institute of Statistics and Census in force at the time of the respective billing, and the corresponding index as of December 2023.

The preventive measure “also orders the cessation of the exchange of any type of information, whether within the framework of meetings of the Argentine Union Health Confederation (UAS) or any other sector, including prices, services provided, Cost and any other commercial information.

The government’s decision was based on a complaint made in January by the Civic Coalition, signed by Buenos Aires legislators Hernán Reyes and Juan Facundo del Gaius and national deputy Maximiliano Ferraro, against the main companies in the sector.

“We have to review the CPI so far for December and see how much it is. We believe this will be a significant reduction compared to what was paid in April,” Adorni said.

Similarly, the spokesperson stated that superintendence of health services A precautionary measure was introduced so that prepaid pharmaceutical companies covered under the provision of the Ministry of Commerce would refund to their affiliates the difference between the increase applied by them and the increase that should have been applied to them based on the official decision.

“The superintendent no longer controls prices, but it seeks to guarantee free competition and freedom of choice for the benefit of Argentina,” Adorni highlighted.

Since the government deregulated the prepaid drug market through DNU 70/23, signed late last December, there has been a sharp increase in prepaid drug charges, causing almost general disapproval by colleagues.

As the weeks went by, the conflict escalated and in the last hours led to the resignation of Claudio Bellocopite from the presidency of the Argentine Health Union, which brings together the main companies.

Yesterday, following his resignation, the owner of Swiss Medical defended the price increases made by the private health sector and assured that they are in accordance with the revision in the pricing structure.

“When the government deregulated prices, the entire prepaid medicine system and everything else came with huge delays. In December, as a result of devaluation, A really impressive rise in prices“, admitted the businessman in an interview nation+,

Adorni was precisely consulted about the businessman’s statements: “If he did everything right, why did he adopt this position of leaving the camera on? Furthermore, no problem, you have examples of the respective appeals in case of presentation that the Health Superintendent is going to make in Justice, as well as the resolution taken by the Ministry of Economy making it clear that appeals suspend the measure. Don’t,” he insisted.

“If there was no factionalism, they will prove it and in that situation, the people investigating in the justice or administrative part will take the same path they should take. Since there is estimation, there are also elements that determine it. “Whatever you say has no meaning for us,” the spokesperson said.