We are going through a pandemic, a scenario last seen approximately 10 years ago, with influenza A – H1N1. However, it is notable that today, even with more advanced resources, Covid-19 has brought much more harm than its predecessor.

Higher fatality rate, higher contagion rate and still without an effective vaccine. These are some of the characteristics that made the global virus, discovered in 2019, one of the most difficult to deal with.

All over the world, the most diverse segments of society were affected by the chaos created by the disease. In the case of health plans it was no different. Let’s look at some of the impacts of the new coronavirus on the sector.

Inside the subject

Even before resorting to research that reveals data regarding changes in the department, it is possible to see some of the implications of Covid-19 “with the naked eye”.

Some consultations and procedures considered not to be urgent were postponed. Furthermore, waiting rooms were empty, following social isolation measures.

Knowing this, we can now begin to understand the results coming from specialized analyses.

Important data

The ANS (National Health Agency) has been monitoring such impacts with operators. Bed occupancy, cash flow and default directly affect the market.

Therefore, it is very important to understand how the scenario affected these issues, thus thinking about effective measures to deal with this adverse situation.

One of the notable data from the research carried out by this ANS monitoring refers to the number of beds related to Covid-19, which jumped from 9 to 27% between February and April 2020.

An upward curve was also seen in the number of hospitalized patients linked to SARS that year.

On the other hand, bed occupancy and demand for services unrelated to the pandemic registered a drop. This is due to the prevention measures already mentioned above.

Regarding the economic part, in cash flow and default, no major variations were noted compared to the previous year.

It is worth noting that the sector's financial cycle is variable, therefore, changes in the increase in beds due to Covid-19, as well as the drop in other services, should demonstrate their effects in the coming months.

What to expect?

That's the question on everyone's mind. Remarkable results can already be seen in the general economy of all countries, not just Brazil. Although such a large effect on the health insurance sector has not yet been noticed, it is not known how long this scenario could last, or how it could change.

Therefore, we cannot yet say with certainty how large the impacts of Covid-19 will be for the segment. The wisest thing to do is to absorb the information mentioned and continue analyzing such data over time.

COVID 19 bulletin and debates promoted by ANS

The National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS) launched the COVID-19 bulletin, informative with the specific monitoring that has been carried out with the health insurance sector during the new coronavirus pandemic. In addition, it also promoted regional meetings with small and medium-sized health plan operators to discuss and evaluate the impacts of the pandemic. The meetings were recorded and the content is available on the ANS YouTube channel:

• 20/05 – Impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Operators in the Northeast Region
• 22/05 – Impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Operators in the North and Central-West Region
• 25/05 – Impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Operators in the South Region
• 27/08 – Impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Operators in the Southeast Region I
• 28/08 – Impact of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Operators in the Southeast Region II

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Source: ANS website.