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Colombia health crisis deepens, Nueva EPS patients suffer

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-05 21:22 UTC → 2026-08-07 01:46 UTC · added removed

Colombia health crisis deepens, Nueva EPS insurers probed patients suffer

Since mid‑May 2026 Colombia’s public‑health system has been under severe strain. Soaring debts of state‑intervened insurers, especially Nueva EPS, left the insurer with a 2024 loss of about 4.8 trillion pesos and liabilities of 22.5 trillion, prompting President Gustavo Petro to assume half of the debt as public debt. A coalition of health experts warned in mid‑May that the system was on the brink of collapse, and hospitals across the country reported occupancy of 150‑200 % in cities such as Pasto, Soacha, Piedecuesta, Floridablanca and Ibagué. Overcrowding and strikes by public hospitals in Cesar added pressure, while providers like IPS Nueva Salud Integral and Hospital San Jorge faced severe payment shortfalls. In early June Nueva EPS launched a “Plan de Choque” to address roughly 170 000 pending tutelas, while and the National Superintendency of Health reduced response times for minors and the minors. The Supreme Court gave the insurer 60 days to devise a compliance plan. The plan, and the Ministry of Health financed the fourth‑level Hospital Regional de Alta Complejidad in Pereira, and regional upgrades continued. Pereira. On 5 August the Attorney General’s Office released a report on four EPS insurers—including Nueva EPS, Mutual Ser, Emssanar and Proteger EPS—documenting insurers, documenting persistent barriers to care, serious financial deterioration and systemic risk. The report noted more than 40 000 tutela complaints and over 10 000 incidents of non‑compliance in early 2026 risk, and announced announcing disciplinary investigations into the Ministry of Health and the National Superintendency for alleged inspection failures. Analysts warned that negative equity, insufficient capitation payments and mounting provider debts threaten Superintendency. A new preventive review by the entire health‑security system, eroding trust between public authorities and private actors Procuraduría General de la Nación confirmed Nueva EPS’s massive deficits—liabilities over 22 trillion pesos and raising accumulated losses exceeding 11 trillion pesos—and recorded a surge in tutela actions, with 40,668 filed in the prospect first quarter of further regulatory 2026 (60 % of 2023 filings). Patients report nationwide failures to schedule specialist appointments, obtain essential medicines such as clobazam, and legal actions. receive authorized treatments.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-07 01:46 UTC Colombia health crisis deepens, Nueva EPS patients suffer
  2. 2026-08-05 21:22 UTC Colombia health crisis deepens, EPS insurers probed
  3. 2026-08-05 17:25 UTC Colombia health crisis deepens, legal pressure on Nueva EPS

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