Legal ruling causes major upset in Chilean health sector

A judge has ruled against age-related premium increases, a standard industry practice that could now be under threat

In a late June ruling, Chile’s Constitutional Tribunal, which is the final instance of ruling on the legality of norms and decisions, upheld a protest by a female lawyer against the decision by her private health insurer to increase her premiums substantially when she reached 60. As higher premiums for upper age brackets are a fairly accepted industry norm, the Health Superintendency, which normally protects subscribers against insurers had in this instance backed the company (ISAPRE ING Salud).