The Ministers of Interior and Health sent a letter to Congress urging the urgent debate of the health reform in the Senate's Seventh Commission before the tax bill. The commission indefinitely suspended the debate until the financing law is processed. President Petro threatened prevarication charges for any legal breaches.
Interior Minister Armando Benedetti and his Health counterpart sent a letter to the presidents of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Seventh Commissions of both, demanding priority debate on the health reform. The message highlights the current system's 'evidente agotamiento estructural', with fragmentation among insurers, providers, and territorial entities causing inequities, debts, and delays in timely care.
The reform aims for a new model focused on prevention, primary care, and territorial management, addressing bottlenecks and ensuring effective articulation across levels. It tackles the financial crisis of EPS and debts of State Social Enterprises, proposing mechanisms for transition, financial cleanup, and service continuity without impacting users.
Benedetti tweeted: 'Presidente Miguel Ángel Pinto, es la Constitución la que dice que el mensaje de urgencia e insistencia está por encima de las decisiones de la Comisión. Dejen de ser cobardes. Pónganle la cara al país'. President Gustavo Petro added: 'si hay parlamentarios que incumplen la ley escrita, debe procederse a la denuncia por prevaricato'.
However, the Senate's Seventh Commission, via a proposition by Senator Nadia Blel, indefinitely suspended the debate until verifiable financing sources are incorporated, per article 7 of law 819 of 2003. The 2026 National General Budget does not include additional resources for the reform's transition.