Private health care can either be purchased individually or obtained as a work benefit, depending on the employer. It is not restricted to certain groups and conditions and is available to everyone - as long as he is able and willing to pay!
The private health insurance sector can either be accessed via health plans or insurance policies provided by various insurance companies.
Private health plans in Brazil
The Brazilian health plans (planos de saúde) are strictly regulated by the Agéncia Nacional de Saúde Suplementar (ANS ) which works on behalf of the Ministry of Health. They all fulfill minimum requirements like the coverage of certain doctors and hospitals.
However, health plans are usually restricted to certain regions (depending on the individual plan and fees) which range from one city to a set of states.
Due to an innumerable amount of different health plans one can easily loose track. The ANS provides an overview of the different providers and their respective fees and offers assistance.
Dealing with this subject for the first time can be very confusing, so start your decision-making process by setting your priorities.
- Do you want to cover in-patient treatment only or out-patient treatment in combination with hospital accommodation?
- Do you want to purchase additional dental care cover?
- Do you need a health plan that only covers your own municipality or do you want national coverage?
The best next step is then to visit another website provided by the ANS. It offers general information on the different providers and their programmes. You can also check directly the websites of the respective providers to gain an overview of their conditions and offers. Unfortunately, most information is only available in Portuguese.
Keep in mind that a large number of health plan providers only covers single cities, so check also the city related websites for further information.
Private health insurance in Brazil
Unlike health plans, health insurance schemes usually cover the whole Brazilian territory. Furthermore, free choice of doctors and hospitals is only offered by private insurance policies, whereas health plans are usually linked to predetermined physicians and hospitals.
Private health insurance is provided by general insurance companies (most of which also offer other insurances). Regardless of which scheme or plan you choose, dental treatment is almost always excluded and has to be purchased separately.
Even if you have purchased private insurance, you can still access free public health care, with all its services and medication (i.e. if you're in a remote area where you can only find a public hospital).
What if you don't have a private health insurance in Brazil?
If you decide not to purchase private health insurance in Brazil, you can still access private health services if you pay for them separately. However, the fees tend to be more expensive than in many European countries.
Another option is to purchase private insurance in your home country which covers medical treatment and services in Brazil. This can sometimes be a cheaper alternative, especially if you only intend to stay in Brazil for a limited amount of time. However, most insurance schemes for non-resident citizens only cover medical treatment to a certain age. For more information, ask your national insurance company.