00:00This may be the most important health news of the week and possibly the month.
00:05After a long silence from Nueva EPS, the largest EPS in the entire country,
00:09With more than 11 million members, it revealed its financial statements.
00:13And things look very worrying, and it has to do with discussions about our entire health system.
00:19Why? Let us explain.
00:21For years there has been talk of a crisis at Nueva EPS,
00:24But nobody knew the full picture of their accounts,
00:27The last year in which there was a presentation of its financial statements was 2022.
00:33From then on, nothing, just questions.
00:36But now we know how the accounts looked in 2023 and 2024.
00:41Let's start with 2023.
00:43This year Nueva EPS reported assets, that is, all its property and resources,
00:47for a little over 5 trillion pesos.
00:49However, its liabilities, such as debts, reached 12.1 trillion pesos.
00:54As a result, the entity closed 2023 with a negative equity of 7.1 trillion pesos.
01:01The report revealed by Nueva EPS shows that it received income of 18.9 trillion pesos throughout that year.
01:08But providing health services cost much more, 24.5 billion.
01:12At the end of the year, the net loss amounted to 6.6 trillion pesos.
01:17Now let's move on to 2024.
01:19This year, assets practically doubled and reached 10.6 trillion pesos.
01:25But be aware, that doesn't mean the EPS had twice the money available.
01:30The financial statements explain that this increase is due to the growth in accounts receivable,
01:37which represent about 90% of all assets.
01:40In other words, a large part of those resources were not yet available cash.
01:45In 2024, the debts also continued to grow.
01:50Liabilities increased.
01:51They amounted to 22.6 trillion pesos and as a result, the negative equity grew.
01:59It reached 11.9 trillion.
02:01Like you, we can't wrap our heads around that number either.
02:06It is higher than the annual budget of the entire department of Antioquia.
02:10Regarding operations, Nueva EPS's revenues in 2024 increased to 22.2 trillion pesos.
02:17However, the cost of providing health services also continued to rise.
02:22It reached 26.5 trillion.
02:25That resulted in a loss of approximately 4.8 billion.
02:29And although it was a smaller loss than in 2023, Nueva EPS's financial situation continued to deteriorate.
02:35because their obligations also increased.
02:37In fact, the document outlining the current situation acknowledges that for years there were weaknesses in the timely registration of obligations.
02:46from New EPS
02:47with clinics and hospitals.
02:49They also mention large volumes of billing pending audit, and unvalidated medical accounts.
02:58and obligations that even go back to previous years, some since 2008.
03:04In other words, the deterioration is also due to obligations accumulated over several years.
03:10It is very disturbing, but there is a caveat.
03:13Although these financial statements have already been officially submitted,
03:17The auditor warned that the audit process is not yet complete.
03:21and has not yet issued a ruling on those figures.
03:26The auditor, Jorge Iván Ospina, the former mayor of Cali, is confident that things will not change much.
03:32And one last thing.
03:33This whole situation reopens the debate on the financing of the health system.
03:37For some, what is happening at Nueva EPS is a reflection of an insufficient UPC.
03:44For others, a large part of the problem stems precisely from the recognition of accrued liabilities.
03:50and historical deficiencies in the accounting of Nueva EPS.
03:55What will happen now with this EPS (Health Promoting Entity)?
03:57Will the State contribute more money to rescue her?
04:00How to do it?
04:01If you want to know a little more, we recommend you visit the Spectator's Health section.
04:07My colleague, Juan Diego Quiceno, reconstructed this story very well.
04:11And don't forget to follow us on our social media channels,
04:14that we are interested in doing rigorous journalism about health and science.
04:19Bye.
04:32Bye.
04:33Bye.
04:34Bye.
04:35Bye.
04:36Bye.
04:37Bye.
04:37Thank you.
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