There are moments when it pays to slow down, look back, and honestly ask ourselves if we have truly learned anything. In the mid-1990s, Argentina's workers' compensation system was broken. Endless lawsuits, delayed compensation, insurance companies leaving the market, and workers who, even after winning, ended up losing. When a large risk management company (ART) faces a crisis, it's not just one company that trembles; the entire system trembles, because the ART is the shock absorber that prevents the accident from falling directly on the worker or the employer. Faced with this scenario, it is useful to see what other countries in the Americas are achieving something basic but crucial: immediate attention, without charging the worker, with trained networks and simple procedures. When care is delayed, when the worker has to advance money or go through a pilgrimage of authorizations, the system ceases to fulfill its basic function. Colombia works reasonably well if the report is filed quickly. It is operational. The most favorable systems for the worker are not necessarily the most expensive or complex, but those that guarantee immediate medical care and leave the administrative discussion for later. Not perfect systems, but operationally functional. Comparative Americas: coverage and speed of care. Country. Free care for the worker? Typical activation. Speed/friction. Overall evaluation. Canada. Yes. Report + claim + management. High. Very favorable. Chile. Yes. Mutual network + DIAT. High. Very favorable. Colombia. Yes. ARL network + FURAT. Medium-High. Favorable. USA. Yes (if compensable). Report + carrier. Variable. Mixed. Brazil. Partial (SUS). CAT + INSS. Medium-Low. Bureaucratic. The contrast is clear. Brazil, in turn, remains the heaviest in terms of procedures. The problem with the Argentine system is not ideological or merely normative. And when that happens, history does not repeat itself, but it warns again. The United States is heterogeneous. Canada and Chile stand out for their network design and direct payment for care. Not because history repeats literally, but because the same symptoms reappear. In that context, the current ART system was born: an emergency solution that for a time worked, professionalized care, and put prevention on the agenda. Today, the system is once again showing familiar signs: record litigation, out-of-control medical costs, negative technical results, and solvency problems. By Claudio Rosso. Buenos Aires-Miami-January 11, 2025-Total News Agency-TNA-.
