By Brazil Stock Guide — Large health operators groups accounted for the bulk of growth in Brazil’s private healthcare market in August, adding a combined 108,000 members, almost twice the industry’s net increase for the month, data from health regulator ANS showed.
Brazil ended August with 53.16 million medical-plan memberships, after a net increase of 62,160 during the month. Year to date, the industry has added 308,890 members.
Amil, BradSaúde, Porto Seguro Saúde, SulAmérica and Seguros Unimed together added 108,248 memberships in August, with those gains partly offset by declines at other operators.
Amil led net additions, gaining 37,917 members during the month and taking its total portfolio to 3.59 million. Bradesco Saúde followed with 23,035 net additions, bringing its membership base to 4.18 million.
Porto Seguro Saúde added 16,585 members to reach 877,202, while SulAmérica gained 15,381 and ended the month with 3.16 million. Seguros Unimed added another 15,330 members, taking its total to 1.02 million.
The five groups added about 46,000 more memberships than the entire market’s net increase, showing that growth among some of the industry’s largest players was offset by portfolio reductions elsewhere.
Among those reporting declines, Hapvida, which remains the largest group by membership among those analyzed, ended August with 8.45 million beneficiaries, down 39,635 from the previous month. Hapvida has previously said it is reviewing its customer base as part of efforts to improve the economic and financial balance of its portfolio.
Excluding the five groups that led net additions and Hapvida, the rest of the market recorded a combined net decline of roughly 6,500 memberships in August.
The moves came in a market characterized by high customer turnover. According to ANS, operators reported 1.24 million new enrollments and 1.18 million cancellations in August, resulting in the net increase of 62,200 beneficiaries.
Over the 12 months through August, the market recorded more than 16 million enrollments and 15.4 million cancellations, underscoring the intense competition among operators for membership growth.
ANS data measure health-plan memberships rather than unique individuals, as the same person may hold more than one plan. The figures are also subject to retroactive revisions as operators update their submissions to the regulator.
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