Short Health Law hangs by a thread due to the insistence of Javier Macaya (UDI) to lower the debt

First there was mutualization and then the FEN formula. These were the mechanisms offered by the opposition to reduce the amount of Isapres debt with its members. However, the Executive refused to do so and insisted that what the Health Superintendency calculated should be paid: more than 1.5 billion dollars. Today, when an agreement was expected to have an expedited vote, the opposition again sought a formula to lower the amount to a little more than $1.2 billion.

Yesterday, parliamentarians spent almost nine hours negotiating the Isapres Short Law behind closed doors. Among the controversial issues, the payment method, the payment time and the amount of the debt. At around 6:00 p.m., the senator and president of the commission, Javier Macaya (UDI), scheduled the session that would vote on the new instructions of the Executive for today, Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., and it came with trustworthy support.

Upon leaving the session, the members of the commission noted an understanding between the parties. Adjustments, details, small modifications were necessary for an agreement to be reached. However, today the most controversial issue was raised, the amount of the debt, something that the Executive was not willing to negotiate.

Voices within the Commission maintain that Macaya insisted on the issue, even though the Government had extended the payment period by 3 years – from 10 years to 13 years to comply with what is owed. But that was not enough for the president of the UDI, who only in April joined the Senate Health Commission that he presides today.

These same voices comment that Macaya requested to recalculate the debt with only administered contracts. This formula reduces by a quarter the calculation made by the Health Superintendency, from more than 1.5 billion dollars to more than 1.2 billion dollars. His offer did not work and with this, they say, the agreement began to be blown up.

While the meeting is going on, there is concern, as parliamentarians warn that the agreement hangs by a thread due to Macaya’s insistence. At around 6 p.m., they even assured that he was the only one who maintained this position, since the other congressmen agreed to the ruling party’s proposal to enable the modification of the ICSA for 3 years.