The articles written by the PÚBLICO Brasil team are written in the variant of the Portuguese language used in Brazil.
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Taking care of your health is essential wherever you are. Aware of this, many Brazilians who chose Portugal to live have resorted to private health insurance to guarantee care when necessary. The good news is that, in most cases, these insurances, even quoted in euros, are cheaper than health plans in Brazil. But it is necessary to understand very well how these insurances work in Portuguese territory and what the differences are in relation to the Brazilian model. Wrong assessments can be costly.
Lawyer and insurance consultant, Fernando Amorim explains that, in Portugal, health insurance is priced according to what it offers, both in terms of outpatient services and in the case of hospitalization. Companies provide customers with a maximum amount of capital for coverage during the contractual year. The greater this capital, the higher the monthly payments will be. If, during that year, the user consumed all the contracted capital, he will have to pay in full for the services he uses. In these cases, prices follow the tables of accredited networks.
Consultant Fernando Amorim recommends that you read contracts carefully before purchasing health insurance
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In Brazil, health insurance or plans normally have a minimum coverage, based on a list defined by the National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS). There are no limits on usage, but, on the contract renewal date, operators take into account the customer’s history to define the adjustment. As insurance and plans in Brazil are, for the most part, collective, the costs end up being diluted between those who use the services most and those who use them little. Even so, annual adjustments have been high. In the case of individual plans, the correction is defined by the ANS. Detail: companies have been very strict when it comes to authorizing exams and, above all, hospitalizations and surgeries. Several cases have stopped in court.
There is, however, a similarity between health insurance in Portugal and Brazil: co-participation. In other words, parts of the costs for consultations, exams and hospitalizations are covered by insurance and plan contractors. As for reimbursements in cases of consultations with non-affiliated doctors, the percentage varies, in both countries, according to the contract. On average, in Brazil, returns vary around 20%. In Portugal, it is close to 50%. “All these details must be observed when concluding contracts. The rules need to be very clear and known to those taking out the insurance”, says Amorim.
One third of the value
The couple Pedro and Flora Antunes, both 78 years old, moved to Portugal just over a year ago. The two bought a house in Leiria to be closer to their daughter and granddaughter. Even before crossing the Atlantic, they started researching health insurance, because, regardless of the country’s public health system being very good, they always believed in the importance of having a private plan. “But it was difficult to find health insurance that would approve us, because of our age. As a rule, insurance companies in Portugal do not accept clients over 75 years of age”, says Pedro.
Luckily, the couple was accepted by an insurance company. The value of health insurance was set at 650 euros (R$4,000) per month for both of them. “It is a value well above the market average, we know. But even so, it was cheaper than the health plan we had in Brazil”, highlights Flora. “In Brasília, on a collective plan, we paid, for both of us, the equivalent of 1,733 euros (R$ 10.4 thousand) per month. In other words: the plan in Brazil was almost three times more expensive than insurance in Portugal. Remembering that we have the right to exams, consultations and a single room in case of hospitalization”, he adds.
Consultant Lúcio Gonçalves, 59, who moved from Brazil to Portugal two and a half years ago, also took out health insurance. “I am paying, for two people, 260 euros (R$1,600) per month. In Brazil, just for me, it was 500 euros per month (R$3,000). It’s a very big difference”, he points out. He recognizes that the Brazilian and Portuguese private healthcare systems have particularities that may justify the price disparity. “However, for ordinary citizens, it is difficult to understand, especially when they are paying for a service in euros, in a European country”, he adds.
Financial educator Marcelo Sobreira states that he insists on having health insurance in Portugal. He pays 260 euros per month for the whole family
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Additional services
Financial educator, Marcelo de Souza Sobreira states that having health insurance in Portugal is essential as a complement to the public system. “Personally, since I arrived in the country, I took out health insurance for my family. There are three of us, me, my wife and my son. We pay 260 euros monthly. It is an affordable price, certainly much lower than what we would pay in Brazil”, he adds. For him, protection is everything, especially when you are a foreigner. “We lived in Singapore for a while and there we also had private health insurance. You can’t just depend on the public sector.”
Expert Fernando Amorim highlights that, in Portugal, health insurance is the most sold product on the market. “But there are health plans. In these cases, insurance companies do not define minimum capital to be contracted. Customers must pay for all consultations, exams and hospitalizations, always following the accredited network’s table prices. These are lower prices than those charged to those who do not have plans”, he explains.
He says that, just like in Brazil, there is a regulatory body that defines the operating rules of the private health system and is responsible for supervision: the Insurance and Pension Funds Supervision Authority (ASF). Its mission is to ensure the sustainability of companies and that consumers receive the services they have contracted for.
Amorim also emphasizes that the purchase of insurance and health plans in Portugal must be accompanied by specialists, brokers and bank managers, who are prepared to answer all consumer questions. “These are professionals who can be called upon whenever necessary”, he emphasizes.
