Monkeypox test is included in the list of exams covered by health plans

The ANS (National Supplementary Health Agency) approved, this Monday (19), the inclusion of the test to detect monkeypox in the list of procedures covered by health plans. The measure was taken on an extraordinary basis due to the disease situation in Brazil.

“The inclusion […] was made in an extraordinary way, given the disease scenario that currently places Brazil among the six countries with the highest number of confirmed cases in the world”, said the ANS in a note. According to the Ministry of Health, Brazil registered 7,019 cases of the disease as of Monday, including two deaths.

To obtain coverage of the exam, the patient must present a medical indication.

In Brazil, there are eight laboratories that carry out the diagnosis of monkeypox free of charge. In addition to these, private laboratories also have the capacity to process samples from people suspected of having the infection.

The increase in demand for exams was already being registered in Brazil. An example is the producer Thermo Fisher Scientific, which, in July, observed a threefold increase in the use of tests compared to the previous month.

The inclusion of the exam in the list of procedures attended by the ANS had been a request from Idec (Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection). The entity sent a letter to the agency in late August asking that the test be incorporated into the list.

In addition, the request indicated that treatment for the disease would also be made available by health plans.