Universal coverage and effective access to health care: What has happened in colombia ten years after sentence t-760?

Abstract

Public health policy in Colombia has been guided by the purpose of achieving universal coverage. Law 100 of 1993 set the goal of guaranteeing access to health services for the entire population, at all levels of care, with a plan of equal benefits for all. Despite this promise, universal coverage was not achieved in the year 2000 as established, and there have been barriers to effective access. In consequence, citizens have resorted to tutela (writ for the protection of fundamental rights) as a mechanism by which judges protect the right to health. In 2008, amidst an overwhelming growth in the number of actions for immediate protection of constitutional rights, the Constitutional Court issued Sentence T-760, by which health was recognized as a fundamental right and ordered several State agencies to guarantee its effective enjoyment and enforce universal coverage and effective access. After ten years, compliance with these orders is medium, with important advances in terms of coverage and equalization of the benefits plan, but there are still barriers to access and concerns regarding sustainability and the flow of resources.