This paper investigates the structure of the Comissões Intergestores Bipartite - CIE (commissions formed by managers from the municipal and state. administrations), as new decision centers in health politics. Analyzing a concrete case - the CIE of Rio de Janeiro State - one tried to ponder on how internal variables in health politics can contribute to the formation of the federative pact in health, as well as to the implementation of SUS's health system mode!. The study showed that the ClEs played an essential role in the development of national directives and in the decentralization of the health system. It has been observed that the accomplishment of politics, through collegiate management instances, leads to the establishment of a partnership between state and municipalities, and to the consolidation of a negotiation practice between the politics' local managers - more balanced, democratic and participant. Nevertheless, the study carried out in Rio de Janeiro suggests that the ClEs still must incentive the discussion and collective formulation in order to confront local-regional problems, aiming at structuring the intermunicipal and state health system.
Comissão Intergestores Bipartite; health politics' decentralization; intergovernmental relations; health system