President Gustavo Petro announced the liquidation of several financially troubled EPS, impacting around 12 million users, amid warnings over the absence of a contingency plan. Regional officials and associations caution against service disruptions and massive transfers that could overload the system. Recent deaths from medication delays highlight existing failures.
On March 18, 2026, President Gustavo Petro ordered during a televised Council of Ministers the liquidation of bankrupt EPS, stating 'all EPS that are bankrupt will be liquidated.' He said affiliates would be served by remaining EPS like Nueva EPS, attached to the Health Ministry, and that the government would pay only its direct debts, not the total 50 trillion pesos owed by intervened EPS including Emssanar, Asmet Salud, Savia Salud, Famisanar, Servicio Occidental de Salud, Capresoca, and Coosalud, affecting an estimated 12 million users per Asocajas and regional editorials, though one source cites 23 million for eight intervened EPS including Nueva EPS with over 11 million affiliates facing issues like 626 Petitions, Complaints and Claims per 10,000 affiliates in August 2025. Valle del Cauca Health Secretary María Cristina Lesmes warned there is only an announcement without implementation details or contingency plan, with current difficulties in appointments, procedures, and medications. Asocajas noted massive redistribution would pressure receiving entities, transferring operational and financial risks, and recalled the Administrative Court of Antioquia's provisional suspension of Decree 0182 of 2026 due to irreparable continuity risks. At Neiva Hospital, intervened EPS represent 46% of the $553 billion portfolio. Cases like the death of 20-year-old Jeison Javier Pinzón Sandoval from leukemia despite a tutela and contempt order, and 7-year-old Kevin Arley Acosta Pico from hemophilia on February 13, 2026 due to Nueva EPS omission in medication delivery for two months per the Attorney General's Office, illustrate failures. Opinions differ: Alejandro Gaviria questions seriousness, Martha Alfonso supports selective liquidation, and associations warn of risks for millions.
