Events

At a recent Desayunos ESADE session, Sanitas CEO Iñaki Ereño declared his support for the reinstatement of a 15% tax deduction on private health insurance, in line with the views of the Institute for Healthcare Development and Integration (IDIS), which he chairs and of which Sanitas is a member. "We must recognise how much money the state saves when people take out private insurance", said Mr. Ereño. He cited the case of Australia, where tax benefits helped bring the percentage of people with private insurance up from 12% to 30%, thereby considerably reducing the burden on the public health system.

Mr. Ereño expressed his support for a grand bargain between the public and private healthcare systems to create an integrated, complementary system that avoids the duplication that takes place in the present system. "A serious alternative", he said, "would be for private healthcare to take charge of managing prevention – prior to the onset of disease – and care for chronically ill patients". He also added that "a possible solution could be to extend the MUFACE model".

Mr. Ereño then described some of his company’s proposals to address the current economic climate. "Right now", he said, "the sustainability of not only the public but also the private healthcare system is being called into question". He presented one project that is already underway: the Valencian Government entrusted the management of the Manises Health Department, which oversees the Manises Hospital, to Sanitas, although with several unique characteristics: for example, the private operator’s profits are limited to 7.5%, and the cost to the public sector is 25% less than what Valencia’s public system used to spend to provide the same services. "Therefore, the Ministry of Health is saving money and the people are satisfied with their healthcare", he said. "The challenge, now, is to actually reach a profit margin of 7.5%".

Another challenge facing the health system is how to cope with rising healthcare costs that are due to systemwide improvements such as advances in medical technology, greater security, etc. To address these issues, Sanitas has developed what it calls active healthcare plans. Under these plans, processes that usually involve long delays – such as a full gynaecological examination and a doctor’s interpretation of the results – can be completed in just two hours. The company also offers a service called Sanitas Responde, in which a team of nurses helps manage chronic diseases – for example, diabetes – over the telephone. Mr. Ereño wrapped up his talk by presenting Sanitas Smile, a prevention-based programme that targets employees and, among other things, aims to reduce absenteeism.

The Sanitas CEO also presented some figures about the health insurance market, highlighting that it has grown by 3% given the increase in premiums. However, the number of policyholders has not increased, with a 30% fall in margins since the crisis started.  

For further information:
guillermo.angulo@esade.edu