[Health care plans: interfaces between the public and private system in the dental sector]

The present work presents a brief history of health plans in Brazil examining the interface between the public and the private sector. The evolution and regulation of the supplementary care system is analyzed, the different care modalities are defined and the main differences between health plans and dental care insurance are pointed out. The coverage provided by the supplementary care system and its relationship with the public health system is shown on the basis of current data. On the other hand, the study focuses on the care services, health plans and the labor market in the sector correlating, also on the basis of current data, the challenges and new opportunities of the supplementary care market, mainly in the dental sector. Although the dental sector is living an extraordinary moment within the private health care system and given that ANS data are pointing to a growth of this sector of 210% over last the 7 years, the service coverage of the supplementary care sector mainly directed to medical and inpatient care does not meet the real demand for integrated health care.