The Dominican Medical Association (CMD) is encouraging patients and physicians to move to the governmental Senasa health plan. Senasa offers the highest coverage in the country.
So far, in a move to foster better conditions than those offered by big business-owned health plan intermediaries (ARSs), the CMD has announced that its members will not accept the coverage offered by the Universal (Banco Popular) affiliates. The CMD protests that the company unilaterally decides what doctors can be affiliated and which not. The CMD also protests the very low fees paid for physician services and low coverage or non-coverage for many common medical ailments.
Dr. Caba says that since the health plan scheme went into effect in 2007, gradually the benefits of the patients and physicians have been diminished by the big health providers, while profits are on the rise for intermediary financial companies.
As reported in Diario Libre, the coordinator for the social security commission of the CMD, Fulgencio Severino says the practical solution is for people to migrate to another ARS. He said the CMD is now campaigning so all move to the Seguro Nacional de Salud (Senasa), the government insurance plan.
The CMD is critical of other insurance plans that are members of the Dominican Association of Medical Plans and Health Risk Administrators (Adimars). These are ARS APS, ARS Asemap, ARS Futuro, ARS Renacer, ARS Metasalud and ARS GMA.
The CMD is leading a national movement to demand better services from the ARS. Protest marches are scheduled nationwide. A major protest march is organized for November at the Plaza de la Bandera in Santo Domingo.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
DR1 News
24 October 2022