Effectiveness of the law on priority for the elderly in health claims in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The growth of older adults is a global event. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the law on  priority for the elderly in relation to the procedural  processing of health claims made in the Lower Courts  of Justice of the judicial district of the Capital of Rio  de Janeiro State. A descriptive cross-sectional study of the proceedings assigned in the period from 2018 to  2019 was conducted. The total sample included 1,040  identified cases, but only 240 were eligible (23%).  Most claims were related to home care services  (26.3%), particularly for adults aged 80 years and over  (54.7%). The legal effectiveness of the law for the 60- to 79-year-old age group was 86% and 97.3% for  other elderly people. The processing time of the  lawsuits, however, was shorter for mature adults than  for older people and similar between older  adults aged 80 years or above and other elderly  adults. Monitoring the impact of this law on  society is essential, older people are at a stage of  life in which the issue of time is essential, particularly  when the claim is related to health.