Health plan operators registered 1.5 million new beneficiaries between January and December 2021, according to the new ANS (National Health Surveillance Agency) balance sheet. It was the biggest growth for a year since 2013.
With nearly 49 million beneficiaries, the plans are now advancing towards the record 50.5 million recorded in 2014.
Since then, the number of people with coverage has been dropping. The curve showed growth again in 2020, when Covid arrived in the country.
According to data from the regulatory agency, the total number of beneficiaries grew continuously during all months of the year. São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Paraná had the biggest gain in absolute numbers.
Last year is remembered by the ANS as the first with a negative readjustment in the monthly fees of individual or family health plans, from -8.19% for the period from May 2021 to April 2022. The historic milestone was a reflection of the reduction in use of supplementary health services in 2020 because of the pandemic.​
Joana Cunha with Andressa Motter and Ana Paula Branco
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I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
