Public Policy and Argentine Celiac Disease Law: Assessment of its effectiveness and scope

With the approval of Law 26588 in 2009, and the subsequent regulations and modifications, the coverage of food and medicines for patients with celiac disease has been included in the compulsory medical plan by prepayment and social security companies. But, is its application really effective and valid? The aim is to collect and analyze, by means of statistical data, the information that the Argentine population has about celiac disease, the existence of the law and, consequently, to evaluate its effectiveness when applied to patients. For the present study, surveys were carried out, composed of questions, distributed in digital format of the multiple choice type, in two groups; one composed of patients with diagnosed celiac disease or their direct relatives, if they were minors, and another group formed by members of the general population. The approach was aimed at recognizing the level of knowledge and interest of the population on the content of the National Celiac Disease Law, the legislation on rights and obligations for celiac patients and the level of satisfaction of the beneficiaries and the population in general. 80 responses were obtained, 40 from each group, group A and B, where 100% recognized the existence of the law, group A, made up of the general population, agreed on the need to help patients through the law. Group B, made up of relatives of and/or celiac patients, agreed with 80%, however, that the law is not 100% effective and is not correctly complied with. It is proved that the law is useful but not efficient in its application, leaving many points, even pointed out by the beneficiaries, blank, with no legal framework for response and/or application.