Survey: 80% are concerned about access to health care in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This is shown in the survey commissioned by the National Association of Benefit Administrators (ANAB) from the Bateiah Strategy and Reputation institute – the ANAB Health Plan Survey.

The document outlines an overview of health plans in Brazil and presents the profile of its beneficiaries. To collect the data, the entities contacted over 1,000 users aged over 16, with samples in capital cities, metropolitan regions, and cities in the interior of the country. Factors such as gender, age, schooling, family income, and occupation were also considered.

According to the gender data, 52.5% of women felt that their health concern greatly increased with the pandemic. Among older people, 54% of respondents aged 50 and over indicated that concern has greatly increased.

Regarding family income, the highest percentage of concern is found among respondents earning 2 to 5 minimum wages (84.1%). Among Brazilians earning up to 2 minimum wages, 50.3% indicated that their concern greatly increased.

DISEASE PREVENTION

ANAB chairman Alessandro Acayaba de Toledo says the study is an overview of the current moment Brazil is experiencing and reflects how Brazilians perceive the issues of health and disease prevention after the pandemic.

“Never before have Brazilians been as concerned about their health as they are today. The pandemic increased this concern and the economic instability threatens the plan’s maintenance, particularly among beneficiaries with lower purchasing power. The market has responded by launching products at more attractive prices and even suggesting the portability of waiting periods. It is crucial that consumers are aware of their rights in order to make the best choices for their health, including their financial health.”

PERSONAL HEALTH PLAN

Consumers consider a health plan as an achievement, just like owning a property, a vehicle, traveling, or investing, the survey showed. Having a health plan is the third most important achievement for Brazilians in 2021. In the age bracket above 50, the benefit is second only to owning a home.

The lower the family income and the schooling level, the greater the importance of the plan. At least 18.7% of respondents earning up to 2 minimum wages point out the benefit as an achievement, just as 21.8% of respondents with high school education also perceive it as such.

With respect to age, this perception is even greater among respondents aged 50 or older, representing 25.5%. But it is for the retired population that the plan takes on the main role and leads the ranking of achievements for Brazilians, leaving home ownership and cars behind. At least 50.6% of retirees indicate the plan as an achievement.

“Health insurance companies have perceived an increase in the demand for health plans. ANS [National Agency of Supplementary Health] data show that since the beginning of the pandemic over 1 million people have bought a new health plan, this is mainly due to the pandemic crisis we are experiencing due to the novel coronavirus. Because of the economic crisis, it is interesting that although consumers’ purchasing power is lower, they are not abandoning their health insurance. This is a fact that the survey itself reinforces, given the importance the plan has for respondents, having ranked third on the wish list, technically tied with cars, and rising to first position in this ranking when the subject is services,” Toledo said.

For those who intend to discontinue their health plan due to loss of purchasing power, or even because they have been laid off, insurance companies have provided a solution, ANAB chairman said.

“Health insurance companies help these people, including portability, so that they may migrate or change their plan or provider for a more attractive price, a lower price, without losing their assistance coverage needs and with no need to fulfill their original plan’s waiting periods.”

PLANS AND SUS

Health insurance is directly linked to the beneficiaries’ perception of safety regarding their health, the survey revealed. At least 69% said that the benefit is a safeguard in cases of need, while for 31% it is a recurring need.

When they need to use the plan’s services, most beneficiaries resort to consultations with specialists (69%), followed by exams (13.3%) and emergency (8.7%).

ANAB’s survey also found that even with the plan, 42% of beneficiaries use the Unified Health System (SUS) services. Vaccination services are the most mentioned among the SUS use, indicated by 49.3% of the respondents. Demand is higher among the elderly and the population with lower purchasing power.

According to the beneficiaries’ perception, the agility in service is the most important factor in a health plan, as reported by 24.2% of respondents. The ease of authorizing procedures is ranked second with 15.4%, followed by the medical network included in the contract, with 14.4%. The top 5 are services offered (11.1%) and the professional network (10.9%).

COST-BENEFIT

ANAB’s study also analyzed the cost-benefit ratio of health plans, from the client’s perspective. For 49.2% of respondents, the importance of having a health plan greatly increased with the pandemic, however, they are not receptive to potential increases.

Resistance is even greater among men, representing 51.5% of those who acknowledge the importance of the plan, but are unwilling to pay more for it. Regarding age, the percentage is higher among respondents aged 40 to 49, corresponding to 56.1% of those who are unwilling to pay more. Overall, only 20% of respondents are willing to pay more for their health plan.

On the other hand, despite the options of negotiating prices with insurance companies or changing the plan through waiting period portability, 91.4% of respondents prefer to leave the benefit as it is, and only 7.8% would make changes to reduce costs.

The survey was conducted between September 16 and 28, through telephone interviews with 1,006 respondents in 420 cities nationwide. According to the Bateiah Strategy and Reputation institute, the error margin is 3%.

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