SURA Health Insurance Colombia: Plans and Pricing Review

SURA sells three different health products in Colombia, and mixing them up is the most common mistake buyers make. Medicina Prepagada SURA, the full private plan, costs about COP 503,356 to 512,265 a month (USD 160 to 163) for an adult aged 15 to 40 in 2026, rising to COP 1,287,868 to 1,562,252 (USD 409 to 496) in the 60 to 65 band, which is also SURA’s maximum entry age. EPS SURA is a separate product: your place in the public system, priced at 12.5% of your contribution base with a 2026 minimum of COP 218,863. USD figures use 3,150 COP to 1 USD, the September 2026 rate.

Quick answer

• SURA runs three distinct health businesses: EPS SURA (public system insurer), Plan Complementario SURA (a cheap top up), and Medicina Prepagada SURA with Seguros SURA policies (full private cover).
• 2026 Plan Clásico monthly rates from two brokers: COP 392,110 to 411,619 at ages 0 to 14 (USD 124 to 131); 503,356 to 512,265 at 15 to 40 (USD 160 to 163); 698,866 to 720,438 at 41 to 50 (USD 222 to 229); 905,272 to 1,041,373 at 51 to 59 (USD 287 to 331); 1,287,868 to 1,562,252 at 60 to 65 (USD 409 to 496).
• Plan Global adds international coverage at about 14% to 25% more than Plan Clásico on the adult age bands.
• SURA’s maximum entry age is 65. After that you cannot buy in, but once enrolled and current on payments you can stay on indefinitely.
• EPS SURA asked Supersalud to let it leave the public system in May 2024. The request was denied, a follow up wind down plan was rejected too, and EPS SURA still serves 5.4 million members. SURA says its prepagada, complementary and insurance products are legally and financially separate from the EPS.

Disclosure: ColombiaHealthcare.com has no commercial relationship with SURA. This is a review of publicly available information, not an endorsement, and we say below what we could not verify.

What are the three different SURA health products?

They are three legally separate offerings under the Grupo SURA umbrella, and readers routinely treat them as one brand with one price.

The distinction that matters most: prepagada is a top up, not a replacement. It is governed by Decreto 1570 de 1993 as a private supplementary contract, and holding it does not release you from mandatory EPS affiliation. A SURA prepagada customer pays an EPS contribution as well, whether to EPS SURA or another EPS. We unpack that two layer structure in our guide to private health insurance in Colombia and whether it is worth it.

Is EPS SURA about to disappear?

It is still operating and still taking members, but the position is genuinely unsettled. In May 2024 EPS SURA formally requested voluntary withdrawal from the SGSSS, citing financial unviability. Supersalud denied the request, and a later proposal for a progressive wind down was also rejected. EPS SURA continues to serve 5.4 million affiliates and has said publicly that it does not rule out being intervened. In February 2026 a provider association warned that roughly 187,000 Sura members and 500,000 Sanitas members might be transferred to Nueva EPS; health authorities did not confirm it, and it remains an unconfirmed report rather than a decision.

For anyone buying the private product, the relevant point is that SURA stated publicly in May 2024 that its prepagada, complementary and insurance products are legally and financially separate from the EPS and continue regardless of what happens to EPS SURA. A prepagada customer’s exposure is therefore limited to the base layer, and that layer can be moved to another EPS, subject to the usual 360 day transfer rule.

What plans does Medicina Prepagada SURA offer, and what do they cost in 2026?

Two main prepagada tiers plus cheaper complementary products. Plan Clásico is the national tier: direct specialist access without a GP referral, choice of doctor, premium private clinic network, private rooms. Plan Global is Plan Clásico plus international coverage, running about 14% to 25% more on the adult bands and roughly a third more on the 0 to 14 band.

Sourcing caveat, stated plainly: SURA does not publish an individual prepagada rate card. These 2026 figures come from two independent brokers and are advertised marketing rates, not an audited fee survey. Treat them as approximate 2026 ranges and get a written quote before relying on them. USD at 3,150 COP.

Two things stand out. The broker disagreement widens sharply with age: at 15 to 40 the two sources are within 2% of each other, but at 60 to 65 they differ by COP 274,384 a month, about 21%, so older buyers should quote more than one broker. And Plan Clásico rises about two and a half to three times between the 15 to 40 and 60 to 65 bands, so the cost of delay is not linear. Note too what the complementary tier does to the age problem: full prepagada closes at 65, but Salud para Todos Integral publishes a band for 71 and over at COP 426,190 (USD 135), the practical SURA route for an older buyer.

What is SURA’s maximum entry age, and how are waiting periods handled?

The maximum entry age for prepagada is 65. The cap is on joining, not on remaining, so current members continue indefinitely. If you want SURA prepagada and you are approaching 65, that deadline is the most important date in this article.

On waiting periods, separate the two layers. In the EPS there are none: Ley 1438 de 2011, Article 32, abolished them from 1 January 2012, and no EPS may refuse care for insufficient contribution weeks, decline you, rate you on health status or exclude a pre existing condition. In prepagada, waiting periods are normal and SURA applies them. The broker sources that publish SURA’s rates describe the standard market pattern: a maternity carencia of roughly 10 to 12 months, defined waiting periods for high cost conditions such as cancer, HIV and transplants, and newborns typically covered from day one. We could not verify SURA’s exact carencia schedule tier by tier from SURA’s own documents, so ask for it in writing.

Pre existing conditions come under rules that tightened in 2026. In Sentencia T-453-25, reported 18 February 2026, the Constitutional Court required supplementary health plans to run a rigorous medical examination before signing, limited exclusions to those that are express, specific and constitutionally justified, made blanket exclusions of “genetic, hereditary or congenital” conditions unenforceable, and barred insurers from skipping the pre enrolment assessment and then using it to deny a claim later. Practical advice: insist on the exam, and get the exclusions listed item by item.

How does SURA compare on price to Colsanitas and Colmédica?

On published 2026 figures SURA prices above Colsanitas and well above Medisanitas for a working age adult, and Colmédica publishes the lowest entry prices. But the comparison is not like for like, and that caveat does real work.

Three corrections before you read that as a league table. The Colsanitas and Medisanitas figures come from a January 2026 association collective rate sheet, and a collective rate is normally better than what an individual walks in and gets. Colmédica’s are desde prices, meaning starting from, almost certainly the youngest age band, so a 55 year old should not expect COP 129,687. And the cheapest Colmédica tier covers Bogotá and Chía only, which is not a national plan at all.

A fairer comparison comes from an independent 2026 market study of individually sold mid tier plans, which puts Colsanitas at COP 400,000 to 520,000 for ages 31 to 45 and COP 620,000 to 820,000 for ages 46 to 60. SURA’s COP 503,356 to 512,265 at 15 to 40 and COP 698,866 to 720,438 at 41 to 50 sit inside that same range. Individually, SURA and Colsanitas are broadly competitive; the gap in the table above is mostly purchasing channel, not product. For what any of these add over the public system, see our comparison of EPS versus private health insurance in Colombia.

Who does SURA suit, and who should look elsewhere?

SURA suits you if you want one insurer covering every layer, from EPS through complementary plan to full prepagada, so you can move up or down without changing brands; you are under 65 and want to lock in before the entry cap; you want international coverage on a Colombian plan, which Plan Global provides; or you are past the prepagada cap and want a complementary plan, where SURA publishes a band for 71 and over.

Look elsewhere if price alone decides it, since Medisanitas prices materially lower at the same age on published 2026 figures; you want maximum tier granularity, which Colmédica offers with hospital only and cancer specific products from COP 46,989 to 49,186; you want cover for a condition you already have, which prepagada will exclude whoever sells it; or the unsettled position of EPS SURA bothers you enough that you would rather hold your base layer elsewhere. Keep those two decisions separate, though: you can hold Medicina Prepagada SURA while your EPS is a different insurer entirely.

What we could not verify

An honest review says where the evidence runs out. SURA’s individual rate card is not published, so every figure in our pricing table is broker sourced. The exact carencia schedule by tier could not be retrieved from SURA’s own documents; the 10 to 12 month maternity figure is the market pattern, not a verified SURA term. What Plan Global’s international coverage actually pays is unverified: we confirmed the tier and its price, not its limits, territories or claims process. The future of EPS SURA is confirmed only as far as the withdrawal request and its denial. Network quality against competitors has no dated, comparable 2026 study we could use. And Coomeva and MedPlus rates could not be retrieved, so we left them out rather than guess. In every case the fix is cheap: ask SURA or a broker directly, in writing, before you sign.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need EPS SURA to buy Medicina Prepagada SURA?

You need an EPS, but not necessarily EPS SURA. Prepagada is a supplementary contract under Decreto 1570 de 1993 and requires public system affiliation underneath it. Holding prepagada with one carrier and your EPS with another is normal.

What happens to my SURA prepagada if EPS SURA is intervened or wound down?

SURA stated publicly in May 2024 that its prepagada, complementary and insurance products are legally and financially separate from the EPS and continue regardless. Your base EPS layer would move; the private contract is a different entity’s obligation. That is SURA’s stated position, worth confirming in your own contract.

Can I join SURA prepagada after 65?

No. The maximum entry age is 65, so you cannot start a new prepagada policy after that, though existing members who stay current continue indefinitely. Over 65, SURA’s complementary tiers publish rates up to the 71 and over band at COP 426,190 a month.

Is SURA more expensive than Colsanitas?

On published 2026 figures SURA Plan Clásico at COP 503,356 to 512,265 prices above a Colsanitas collective rate of COP 415,905 for the under 64 band. But against individually sold Colsanitas mid tier plans at COP 400,000 to 520,000 for ages 31 to 45, they are effectively level. The purchasing channel matters as much as the brand.

Is SURA prepagada useful if I am flying to Colombia for a procedure?

No. Prepagada is a residents’ product with waiting periods and mandatory EPS affiliation underneath it, so it does nothing for a planned trip. Details for foreigners living in or moving to Colombia are in our guide to health insurance for expats in Colombia.

If you are choosing a clinic rather than a policy, go to the providers instead: our directory lists multi specialty hospitals and clinics across Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and the rest of the country. This is general information about how one insurer’s products are structured, not medical or financial advice; verify any premium, entry age or exclusion with SURA in writing before you commit.