Colombia's New Health Minister Plans to Slim Down Nueva EPS

Colombia's incoming Health Minister, Ana María Vesga, has outlined a structural plan to stabilize the crisis-hit health system, with a central focus on reducing the affiliate base of Nueva EPS, the country's largest insurer with over 11 million members. Vesga stated that the entity must be 'lightened' because with 11 million Colombians in its current state, it is impossible to provide quality services Source: Portafolio. The plan, set to begin on August 7, includes a 'shock plan' to identify bottlenecks in care delivery and address the backlog of patients awaiting medications and appointments Source: La República. Vesga also emphasized the need to review the UPC (the per-capita payment) calculations for 2025 and 2026, acknowledging underestimations, and to inject capital to settle debts with the pharmaceutical industry Source: Portafolio. She described the system as 'a patient in intensive care' that needs to leave the ICU, requiring around 10 trillion pesos in resources, though funding sources are yet to be defined Source: El Colombiano. Vesga ruled out liquidation as an initial goal for Nueva EPS, instead proposing to convene shareholders, including the State and compensation funds, to chart a recovery path Source: La República. She also noted that the government does not prioritize a major health reform, stating, 'We are not in times of great reforms' Source: La República. The stabilization of Nueva EPS is seen as 'essentially the stabilization of the system' Source: La República.