The Argentine government has charged several prepaid healthcare companies with alleged collusion regarding the constant increases in their service fees. Among the accused companies are Galeno, Hospital Británico, Hospital Alemán, Medifé, Swiss Medical, Omint, and OSDE, as well as the Argentine Union of Health (UAS) and Claudio Belocopitt.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that the National Commission for the Defense of Competition (CNDC) will establish a deadline, which will not exceed 90 business days, to carry out the granted evidence. If necessary, this deadline could be extended by an additional 90 business days. Once this period is over, the accused parties will have six business days to present their arguments.
According to the Anti-Cartel Law, hard-core cartels are considered absolutely restrictive practices of competition, encompassing agreements between competitors to fix prices, restrict supply, divide the market, or coordinate positions in bids, contests, or auctions.
The government decided to take legal action due to significant increases in prepaid healthcare fees, which have vastly outpaced inflation. In 2024, the fees of prepaid healthcare companies rose by 124%, just below the annual inflation rate. Amid this controversy, there is consideration of implementing a decree to limit future increases, specifying that these cannot be applied generally to all members, but must be adjusted by plans.
Regarding the increases this year, prepaid healthcare companies announced hikes ranging from 3% to 3.9% in January, figures considered high compared to overall inflation. Industry representatives justify the increases by stating that healthcare costs exceed average prices.
The government has urged prepaid healthcare companies to transparently disclose the new fee structures for January, with a maximum cap of 4%. In this context, it is expected that the legal process involving the companies charged with collusion will be resolved within a reasonable timeframe.
