Judicial seizure of public funds: Between judicial policy and the Brazilian Unified Health System

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the quantitative impact of judicial seizures of public funds within the context of public health litigation, using the budget of the state of Minas Gerais as the unit of analysis. To this end, data on budget appropriations for public health litigation between 2020 and 2025 were collected, as well as budget execution data between 2020 and 2024, highlighting the percentage share of health litigation expenditures within total public health spending, and the share of judicial seizures within total litigation expenditures. The data demonstrated that expenditures on health litigation accounted for 7.74% of total public health spending in 2024, with judicial seizures and court deposits representing about two-fifths of the total expenditure during the analyzed period. This fact underscores the growth of the Judiciary as a relevant actor in health policy, which generates economicity and efficiency issues, while posing challenges to state planning and interfederative balance