Abstract

PINHEIRO, Malone Santos; BRITO, Ana Maria Guedes de; JERALDO, Verônica de Lourdes Sierpe  and  PINHEIRO, Kariny Souza. Ethical issues in a market dispute between clinical laboratories and a health plan: case report. Ciênc. saúde coletiva [online]. 2011, vol.16, suppl.1, pp. 731-734. ISSN 1413-8123.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232011000700003.

In Brazil the private health plans appear as an alternative to the public health assistance. This segment suffered great intensification in the seventies and eighties, culminating in the entry of large insurance company in the scenario of supplementary medicine. Quickly, the service providers associated with these insurance companies, consolidating them in the market and triggering a relationship of dependency. This article analyzed, in the form of a case report, a marketing dispute between clinical laboratories and a health plan, emphasizing the moral and ethical aspects involved in this episode.

Keywords : Marketing dispute; Clinical laboratories; Private health plans; Ethical aspects.