State Council provisionally suspends decree that territorially reorganized EPS

Intervention warns that suspending services may put lives at risk Photo: Milton Díaz - Portafolio

State Council provisionally suspends decree that territorially reorganized EPS

TL;DR

  • The State Council has provisionally suspended a government decree concerning the territorial reorganization of EPS in Colombia.
  • The decree limited the number of insurance providers per municipality and department.
  • A legal challenge argued the decree violated the right to health, particularly free choice, and could lead to forced transfers to Nueva EPS.
  • The State Council found the decree's measures disproportionately affected the right to health and service principles like accessibility and continuity.
  • The Ministry of Health stated the decree addressed structural flaws, not mass transfers, and aimed to ensure service continuity when an EPS fails.
  • The Ministry clarified that the decree preserves the right to free choice within real service provision conditions.