Research Project

Protecting Unemployed Workers in Colombia: Strategies to Create a Reimbursable Credit Fund for Health Insurance.

Country
- Colombia (Medellín)

Institutions Involved
- National Public Health Faculty, University of Antioquia

- The Secretary of Health of the Municipality of Medellín

- The Secretary of Health of the Department of Antioquia

Project Description
One of the reasons that Law 100 of 1993 (which created the General Social Security System in Colombia) has not achieved higher coverage rates is the continued high level of unemployment. During the planning phase for the research, university researchers brought the problem of the uninsured unemployed workers to the attention of policymakers in the city of Medellin and Department of Antioquia. They convinced the government to allocate resources to subsidize the startup of a special health insurance fund. This agreement was reached.

The research will examine the socio-economic characteristics of unemployed workers in the Metropolitan Area of Medellin, and will describe employment-unemployment cycle of recent years. It will then explore alternatives designs for an insurance program for unemployed workers and their families. It will be based on the creation of a Reimbursable Credit Fund with an initial investment by local State representations and premiums that will eventually be reimbursed by beneficiaries when they return to work.

Given the similar unemployment rates in other parts of the country, the project aims to elevate the visibility of the problem and some of the potential solutions that could be applied either nationally, or on a city by city basis. Similarly, the issue is relevant to other Latin-American countries, and may provide lessons relevant to their policy debates on healthcare for the unemployed.

Contacts
Alvaro Cardona, University of Antioquia.
email: alvarocardona@guajiros.udea.edu.co

Carlos Enrique Cardenas R, Secretary of Health Medellin.
email: carlos.cardenas@medellin.gov.co