Social Security in Health Care for Foreigners in Colombia
General Social Security Health System
Regimes:
The General Social Security Health System in Colombia was created in 1993 by Law 100.
It is comprised of two regimes: the contributory regime, which covers salaried workers, pensioners and self-employed workers with income equal to or greater than 1 SMMLV, and the subsidized regime, which covers all persons without the capacity to pay.
There is also a special regime for workers of the Armed Forces, the National Police, ECOPETROL, teachers and public universities.
EPS in Colombia
Affiliation to this system is mandatory and is done through the Health Promoting Entities, known as EPS, which may be public or private.
EPSs contract with IPSs (institutions providing services), which are the providers of care and may or may not be integrated with the EPSs.
The system contemplates freedom of choice as one of the guiding principles of the health system, as a characteristic of the system and as a foundation of public service.
Right to choose the EPS
Thus, members have the power to choose between different EPSs to manage the provision of health services.
This right has also been reinforced through constitutional rulings such as T-760 of 2008.
However, once a person is affiliated to a certain EPS there is a minimum period of permanence of 1 year, after which it is possible to choose another entity to change.
List of EPS in Colombia
The Ministry of Labor presents a list of all the EPSs located in each of the country’s departments on its website:
https://www.mintrabajo.gov.co/lista-de-eps
Affiliation of Foreigners to the EPS in Colombia
Now then, the affiliation for foreigners with type M visa is made with the registration to a health promoting entity (EPS) and the presentation of the foreigner’s identification card or in the case of children under 7 years of age, the presentation of the passport.
Contributive Regime
If you have a visa or work permit and you are an employee or self-employed worker with the ability to pay, you must apply to the contributory regime.
Subsidized Regime
In order to join the subsidized regime, the SISBEN socioeconomic classification survey must be carried out and classified in levels I and II.
https://www.sisben.gov.co/Paginas/landing.aspx
Subsequently, the EPS must be chosen and registered by filling out the single form of Affiliation and New Developments to the General System of Social Security in Health.
On the other hand, it is important to take into account that in order to affiliate the family nucleus, the respective identification documents and those that prove the relationship must be presented.
Once the affiliation has been made, the benefit plan, which is the set of health care services to which all members of the system are entitled, begins to be enjoyed.
This benefit plan seeks the integral protection of families, maternity and general illness, in the phases of health promotion and development, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for all pathologies.
Now, to know in detail all the benefits of the POS it is possible to consult the following guide created by the Ministry of Health:
In conclusion, the affiliation to the EPS as a Foreigner with Visa Type M is mandatory.
It is a procedure that is carried out in a simple way since it only requires the foreigner’s identification card.
Once you are affiliated, you have different benefits such as quality medical care, financial protection in terms of reduced costs to access the health system, access to preventive programs and legal protection in case of medical malpractice.