Public health coverage is provided to all Brazilian residents (including foreigners) through the Unified Health System or Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), which was established in 1988. The SUS is universal and free for everyone, resembling UK’s NHS model. The federal government is the main funder for the SUS, contributing on average half of the costs, with states and municipalities funding the remaining. The budget comes from general taxation and social security funds.

The evolution of Brazil’s public healthcare system (from Cruz E., 2014)

The implementation of SUS has led to dramatic improvements over the last 25 years, including 50% drop in infant and maternal mortality, improved rural and remote access, and control of communicable diseases like TB and AIDS.

Structure

The organization of the health system is complex, with public and private players competing and complementing each other. There are 3 main players: (i) the SUS which finance and…