The increase of philanthropic entities in the SUS: what does this scenario reveal?

The article analyzes aspects of the change in the legal nature of private healthcare from "for-profit" to "non-profit" entities. It is an exploratory research, supported by the policy analysis framework, focusing on secondary data from the Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde (National Registry of Health Facilities - CNES) from 2012 to 2020 and a case study. The results show an increase in these entities in all regions of the country and evidence that they behave like profit-oriented entities. The change in legal nature hides a broader process of implicit commodification of healthcare services, encouraged by state policies and related to exemptions provided by law.

The increase of philanthropic entities in the SUS: what does this scenario reveal? / O aumento de entidades filantrópicas no SUS: o que esse cenário revela?

ABSTRACT The article analyzes aspects of the change in the legal nature of private healthcare from "for-profit" to "non-profit" entities. It is an exploratory research, supported by the policy analysis framework, focusing on secondary data from the Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde (National Registry of Health Facilities - CNES) from 2012 to 2020 and a case study. The results show an increase in these entities in all regions of the country and evidence that they behave like profit-oriented entities. The change in legal nature hides a broader process of implicit commodification of healthcare services, encouraged by state policies and related to exemptions provided by law.

RESUMO O artigo analisa aspectos da mudança da natureza jurídica de instituições privadas de assistência à saúde, de estabelecimentos "com" para "sem" fins lucrativos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória, apoiada no referencial de análise de políticas, com foco em dados secundários, provenientes do Sistema de Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde (SCNES), de 2012 a 2020, e estudo de caso. Os resultados apresentam aumento dessas entidades em todas as regiões do país e evidências de que se comportam como estabelecimentos com fins lucrativos. A mudança de natureza jurídica oculta um processo mais amplo de mercantilização implícita dos serviços de saúde, incentivado por políticas estatais e relacionado às isenções previstas em lei.