Hospitals in CABA will start charging for medical care for foreigners.

The government of the City of Buenos Aires made the decision to follow the recommendations of the Government of Javier Milei and will begin charging for medical care in public hospitals to foreigners who do not have an Argentine DNI.

The initiative, published in the Official Gazette, went into effect this Friday and seeks to ensure the financing of the health system prioritizing the care of Argentine citizens.

The measure, which excludes emergencies—which will continue to be free—replicates models already successfully implemented in provinces like Salta, Jujuy, Santa Cruz, and Mendoza, where local governments have made similar decisions in favor of the sustainability of the healthcare system.

From the Buenos Aires administration, they explained that the initiative responds to an urgent need to organize resources and prevent the fiscal effort of Argentines from being allocated to the free care of foreign citizens who could be covered by their respective countries.

"With this scheme, the City seeks to ensure that the costs of medical care for foreigners without DNI are borne by the patients themselves or their countries of origin, without affecting the local public health system," official sources highlighted.

How the new system will work

The procedure for charging foreigners without DNI consists of several stages:

Identification of the foreign patient: Hospital staff will verify if the applicant lacks an Argentine DNI and if the consultation is scheduled (for example, surgeries, CT scans, or hospitalizations). If so, they will be referred to the Medical Directorate.

Budget and case presentation: The Medical Directorate will evaluate the order and the patient's documents, recording their data. Then, the request will go to the Foreigners' Budget Management Office, which will calculate the cost of the service.

Payment options: The General Directorate of Network Coordination and Health Financing will inform the patient of the cost and ask if they can pay it. If affirmative, the practice will be authorized, and the payment will be managed through FACOEP (Billing and Collection of Public Providers). If they can't pay, they must go to their country's consulate to request coverage.

Consulate intervention: If the consulate agrees to cover the expenses, the corresponding invoice will be issued. If not, the case will be evaluated by the Undersecretariat of Hospital Care.

Final evaluation: A committee of experts from public hospitals will analyze the case. If care is approved, it will be billed to the consulate; if rejected, the patient will be notified, and the process will be closed.

FACOEP will be the entity responsible for managing the billing and collection of these services, allowing the recovered funds to be reinvested in improving the public health system.

According to official data, FACOEP already recovers 13 billion pesos per month, a figure expected to increase with the implementation of this new regulation. These funds will be allocated to the acquisition of new technology, infrastructure improvements, and better conditions for healthcare professionals.