Colombia's national health coverage system, created by Law 100, which the Colombian Congress passed on December 23, 1993, establishing a comprehensive social security system covering pensions, health, professional risk and complementary social services, and beginning operation in January 1995. Before the reform, access to health care in Colombia had largely depended on each person's own economic means, with many people relying on charitable provision; Law 100 set out to regulate health as an essential public service and to create conditions of access for the whole population across every level of care. Within twenty-five years the reform had extended coverage to nearly all Colombians, a change researchers describe as one of the most far-reaching social sector reforms in the country's history, even as many of the same researchers have also documented persistent concerns about the system's efficiency.
Facts
Program Statusactive, still the legal basis of Colombia's health coverage system 1 Sponsoring BodyCongress of the Republic of Colombia 1 Target Populationall citizens of Colombia, regardless of financial status 2 Health Goalguarantee universal coverage of economic and health benefits as a shared obligation of the state and society 1 Geographic Scope Measured ResultsCoverage rose from about 25 percent of Colombians in 1993 to 75 percent by 2003, 90 percent by 2007 and 95 percent by 2011 2 Classification
Program KindHealth Insurance or Financing Program 1 Connections
Delivers Practice
Entity-backed identity for the program-kind enum value this public health program already carries, resolved to a health practice by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The program-kind fact itself stays on the program unchanged.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. P4H Network: Law 100 of 1993 created the comprehensive social security system in Colombia
P4H Networkdocument body, opening sentence
In 1993, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia passed Law 100, thus creating the country's comprehensive social security system.
document body, second sentence
It comprises the obligations of the State and society, the institutions and the resources destined to guarantee the coverage of economic and health benefits.
document title
Law 100 of 1993 created the comprehensive social security system in Colombia.
document body, closing sentence
It is the legal basis that allowed the development of the current system of social health coverage in Colombia.
View the Source 2. The Borgen Project: Colombia's Improved Healthcare
The Borgen Projectsection The Process, third sentence
This law created Colombia's healthcare coverage system called the Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud (SGSSS).
section The Process, second sentence
Law 100 stated that all citizens of Colombia, regardless of their financial state, are entitled to a comprehensive healthcare plan.
section The Process, coverage-growth paragraph
Only 25% of Colombians were covered in 1993 and by 2003 that number was up at 75%. The percentage of people covered by the healthcare system has only risen since 2003. In 2007 about 90% of Colombians received coverage and in 2011, the percentage was at 95%.
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