"The first thing is health," says almost with force of law a saying that, apparently, was not created in times of crisis. With inflation growing at 54% year-on-year, thousands of Argentines ignore popular wisdom and are canceling their private medicine service due to the fall in purchasing power.
In which it goes of the year, the prepaid ones updated their costs eight times, accumulating an increase of 60%, over the cost of life. If other related expenses (such as medicines) are considered, the Health heading is leading the inflationary ranking of the year: 70%, surpassing that of Home Maintenance (63%) and Food and Beverages (52%).
The impact feels so strong in the pocket of the Argentineans that, only in Federal Capital and Conurbano, more than 200,000 people disenrolled from their providers, indicate from the NGO Defendamos Buenos Aires.
In this context, the "digital prepayments" appear as the great lifesaver and propose a complement to the public health system or social works that barely cover the mandatory medical plan (PMO), that is, the minimum benefits that are required to provide by law.
Just as fintech offer cheaper financial services than traditional entities and the most economical insurtech policies than historical insurers, a new group of innovative companies are betting on the health sector: healtech, acronym in English for health and technology (technology) ).
Without more branches and service channels than an application or website, these companies are growing in the country to the point that they already have their own association: as iProUP knew exclusively, a few weeks ago the Argentine Chamber of Health and Technology was created (CASyT).
At the moment, it is made up of a dozen firms that provide applications for the end user or services to other companies, although they ensure that there are at least twice as many companies.
What are you offering
"We are a company that provides very accessible services. We are born as a result of a problem: 50% of Argentines depend on the public health system, as they are informal workers or monotributistas," Andrés Lawson, of Osana Salud, tells iProUP.
This healtech offers coverage from $ 590 for individuals and $ 1,290 per family group, with co-payments of $ 300 for medical consultations. His plan - called "Superior" and does not require coinsurance - is worth $ 1,990 for the holder and $ 400 extra for each family member. That is, $ 3,190 for a marriage with two children.
Lawson, who is also president of CASyT, remarks that all the attention is made from the app. With a simple video consultation the figure of the "family doctor" is replicated. "70% of the requirements are resolved through a call," said Osana Salud, which has a large number of monotributistas as users.
"You have to understand people not only from health, but also from the social level, understanding their limitations," remarks the manager, who points out that an "online doctor" can refer the consultation to another specialist, send a prescription by mail electronic or even guide you to call an ambulance.
Another of the digital signatures is Klimber. In this case, it is a joint venture formed by Grupo Clarín and the Prudential insurance company, which launched its own benefit in recent months.
"It is an alternative plan to a prepaid or social work that covers basic needs, emergencies, medical consultations, discounts for studies and pharmacies," he reveals to iProUP Dolores Egusquiza. Head of Marketing of Klimber Health.
The company offers 100% digital use through its website and provides the "Online Doctor" application to evacuate all kinds of doubts through the cell phone before going to a guard. In addition, it offers modular coverage to build a "custom" plan.
The price of the basic service for people up to 40 years old is $ 338, which includes the emergency service and the online doctor. As it is a modular plan, other coverage can be added: discounts in pharmacy, specialists and studies; medical consultations scheduled at home; ophthalmology and dental emergencies. The complete plan reaches $ 1,168 for individuals and $ 4,440 for a marriage with two children.
In addition, the holder will have Prudential health insurance for $ 200,000 to obtain cash advances in case of a serious condition.
"We seek to cover the two extremes: the need for every day, to go to a guard and not have to wait, so we offer medical visits without co-payments; and, at the same time, before an extreme diagnosis, that the insurance money for a treatment or intervention if it is not covered, "says Egusquiza.
Osana also includes insurance provided by SanCor. This is because both "digital prepaid" do not contemplate hospitalizations. They aim to be a "complement" and how to avoid waiting for the collapse of the public health system.
With regard to medicines, Osana (which is already present in all provinces) proposes refunds of half the amount paid in 8,000 pharmacies, while its competitor offers discounts of 20% to 50% in Farmacity. Klimber also has a home nursing service for users with older adults in charge.
Lower price
The combination of technology and crisis not only generated these digital services, but also comparators of health plans and even the launch of new products by private medicine providers.
In the first group, ElegiMejor.Net calls itself the "Prepaid Trivago", since it allows comparing plans based on the characteristics that users enter and determining the most economical or the one with the best price-quality ratio.
"After the recent increase, people's consultations grew strongly. Half already have a private medicine service, and almost all of them need to reduce their monthly expenses," Fabián Barralón, CEO and co-founder of the company, tells iProUP, who remarks that the site allows to compare based on parameters such as:
- Level of coverage in dentistry, ophthalmology and other specialties
- Possibility of a bonus cosmetic surgery per year
- Professional booklet
- Sanatorios adhered (the most sought after option)
With these data and information provided by the providers themselves, it offers alternative plans of various "less known" health companies with a price up to 50% lower than that of the main players in the market. For example:
- "Entry" plan for a single person: $ 7,200 of a prepaid recognized against another similar alternative of $ 4,800 (-33%)
- "Family" coverage for a marriage with a child: $ 20,000 from a top-end provider versus $ 9,800 of an equivalent option (-51%)
According to Barralón, the site receives 150,000 visits per month. 65% are monotributistas and autonomous. In addition, half of the consultations come from children under 35 years.
These data coincide with those of Osana, which also has a high level of young people among its affiliates. "80% have no health problems and then they see prepaid as too high an expense," says Lawson.
The traditional ones are digitized
With this in mind, several prepaid services launched to serve the young market. One of them is Sancor Salud which, under the GEN brand, targets people between 18 and 35 years old. Individual plans range from $ 2,300 (half of a conventional service) and there are also options for family groups.
"Attentive to a segment that watches over your freedom, exploring the unknown and the value of the use of time and enjoyment, proposes to add experiences that complement medical coverage," they point out to iProUP.
In addition to the health proposal, GEN also offers discounts on pet daycare, a music streaming platform, tourism promotions and a digital environment.
Through the app, self-management can be carried out such as checking invoices, obtaining the digital credential and administering reimbursements, authorizations and adherence to maternity programs and chronic pathologies, such as celiac disease and diabetes.
"We have our chatbots with Artificial Intelligence: Sandy, who answers queries on WhatsApp; and Codi, who remembers payments or overdue bills," they say from the company.
Like the "digital prepaid", GEN allows access to a doctor online from the cell phone so as not to go to the sanatorium guard and thus optimize the time of the users.
Swiss Medical Group also incorporated co-paid plans to serve the public that - as indicated by the firm to iProUP - "prioritizes the value of the company in which it is insured, generating a payment for benefit (co-payment) based on its consumption, instead of paying it at the monthly price. "
"In these cases, they prefer to pay for the use rather than go to another company without co-payments they don't know," they say from SMG, whose coinsurance plans cost 20% less than the comprehensive ones.
From Swiss Medical they emphasize that they adapted their digital channel to contract their plans online and access the doctor online through the E-Consulta service. In addition, its application centralizes the management of reimbursements, consultation of clinical examinations, checkin in sanatoriums and the order of shifts for the guard.
Thus, technology is presented as an ally of Argentines for savings in medical coverage. Because in times of crisis you not only have to protect your health, but also your pocket.
