The plenary of the Chamber of Deputies concluded today (10) the vote on the Provisional Measure (MP) 1067/21, which defines rules for the mandatory incorporation of new treatments by health plans and insurance. The application of the new treatments will be guaranteed in case the National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS) does not meet the deadline to decide on the subject. The text now goes to presidential sanction.
The deputies maintained the amendments made to the text by the Senate, in relation to the deadline for the ANS to complete the analysis of the process of including these procedures and medicines in the list of mandatory ones.
The text approved in the Senate and maintained by the Chamber provides that the regulatory agency will have a period of 180 days, renewable for another 90 days. The previous version determined a period of 120 days, extendable for another 60.
According to the rapporteur of the provisional measure, deputy Silvia Cristina (PDT-RO), with the extension, the deadline is in accordance with the time available for the National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies in the Unified Health System (Conitec), which carries out the evaluations within the scope of the Unified Health System (SUS) and has a period of 180 days for a similar analysis.
The MP determines that medicines for oral and home use against cancer, including those with treatment started during hospitalization, must be provided by health plans.
The deputies also kept the part of the text that determines that the processes of updating the list of procedures and treatments against cancer be completed in 120 days, counted from the date on which the request was filed and can be extended for 60 calendar days when circumstances require it. .
However, the deputies removed from the text the part that provided for the hypothesis of rejection of the incorporation of treatments, when the product is approved by Conitec, but is unavailable to supplementary health service providers, “or if there is another relevant impediment to its incorporation” .
“This measure would open the possibility for the ANS to reject the incorporation of products already approved under the Unified Health System, based on a highly subjective criterion of “another relevant impediment”, said the deputy.
Also rejected was an amendment approved in the Senate that prohibited readjustments of health plans outside the deadlines defined in Law 9,656/98, under the pretext of financially balancing the contracts due to the incorporation of procedures and treatments in the mandatory coverage list.
The rapporteur justified the exclusion on the grounds that the regulation provides that this type of increase can only occur once a year. “The change is unnecessary, since the readjustment due to increased costs can only be carried out once a year”, said Silvia Cristina.
Seizure of vehicles used in traffic
The deputies also approved Bill No. 2,114/2019, which deals with the disposal of vehicles used in illicit drug trafficking. The approved text provides for the seizure of vehicles used in crimes related to drug trafficking, even if they have been acquired legally.
The seizure must be immediately reported by the judicial police authority responsible for the investigation to the competent court.
The proposal, however, safeguards the interest of third parties, such as car rental companies or owners of stolen cars for the usual practice, or not, of drug trafficking and determines that the good must be returned if the owner’s good faith is proven.
Due to an agreement, the text goes to the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) to prepare the final wording.
