Thirteen years after the Unified National Health System was implemented in Brazil, the Federal government increased the use of norms and regulations aimed at rationalizing resources and prioritizing basic care within the system. In other words, although actions and services are the responsibility of Municipal governments, the Federal government used financing to reinforce its role in determining the policy to be adopted. The first part of this article analyzes trends in health care expenditures and financing in the country and priorities and strategies for financing. The second part relates the 1996 Basic Operational Norm to the Federal government policy of transferring resources to the Municipalities, discussing the importance of the Family Health Program as part of the financing logic and the role of the Health Care Operational Norm in reinforcing rationalization and emphasizing basic care.
Basic Standards for Health Care; Health Policy; Health Financing; Family Health Program
