Increase in the complaints of the elderly about supplemental health in Brazil

Abstract

The scope of this study was to describe the complaints of elderly Brazilians received by the National Supplemental Health Agency. It is an ecological study, with secondary data from the Integrated Inspection System. A trend analysis of the complaints received by the National Supplemental Health Agency of elderly beneficiaries from all over Brazil was conducted between 2008 and 2017. A total of 111,497 complaints were filed by elderly beneficiaries of the supplemental health system. The highest number of complaints (27.07) and the highest average annual increase (7.79, r²=0, 97), and the South region, with the lowest average rate for the period (7.11) and the lowest observed mean annual increase (1.84; r²=0.92) were identified. The highest rate of complaints was related to the coverage of the plan, between the elderly aged 70 to 79 and beneficiaries of individual or family plans. Growing dissatisfaction among older people with the supplemental health system reflected the large number of complaints received by the National Supplemental Health Agency over a period of nine years.

Key words:
Supplemental Health; Elderly; Comprehensive Healthcare; Epidemiologic Methods