Focused exclusively on clients over 49 years old, the Espírito Santo-based health insurance company MedSênior saw an opportunity to grow its beneficiary base by diversifying the audience of its main competitor, Prevent Sênior , which, despite its name, accepts users from the age of 18.
With approximately 310,000 insured lives – an expansion of over 15% from the base of 268,000 at the end of 2025 – the company plans to reach Prevent Sênior, which currently has 549,000 and has been declining in recent years (it once had more than 580,000), within two years. And to reach the level of 700,000 beneficiaries by 2030.
“They’ve lost some of that characteristic and reduced the age range. They’re no longer an operator exclusively for the elderly. And we’re exploring that. We don’t intend to serve a younger audience,” says Maely Coelho, founder and CEO of MedSênior, in an interview with NeoFeed .
Although he doesn't have the exact number of new beneficiaries resulting from the switch from Prevent Sênior to MedSênior, the businessman says the migration has been significant. The health insurance company's revenue in 2025 was R$ 3.25 billion. For this year, the plan is to surpass the R$ 4 billion mark.
“They are losing much more to us than the other way around. These clients are coming in by default. And many brokers are offering our plan more to people in this demographic,” says the CEO.
Another key point highlighted by the businessman concerns the form of service, which has different characteristics. Although Prevent has a wider reach, its service is vertically integrated, relying solely on its medical structure. In the case of MedSênior, the format is hybrid, including accredited hospitals and doctors.
“The choice is up to the beneficiary. In the case of Prevent clients, they either go to hospitals in the company's own network, or they go without. And that's bad. Serving the elderly is very different from serving other populations. We make far fewer mistakes,” says Coelho.
Prevent Sênior faced a serious image crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic, when it was accused of adopting measures that put patients at risk, such as the use of the Covid Kit, without scientific proof of its effectiveness.
The company was even the target of investigations by the Public Prosecutor's Office and a parliamentary commission of inquiry in the Senate. And it signed a Conduct Adjustment Agreement (TAC) to discontinue the medical protocol.
“They really had a lot of difficulty. And we came through unscathed. We had just opened a hospital unit in Vitória, and we created a task force to establish a reference unit. This allowed us to free up beds in other hospitals to provide more spaces for other health insurance providers and the SUS (Brazilian public healthcare system),” recalls the founder.
However, acquiring new clients for MedSênior isn't solely based on those migrating from other plans, such as Prevent Sênior itself. There's a plan for geographic expansion, starting with the implementation of more healthcare units.
To that end, the company's founder has set aside a check for R$ 130 million, which will be invested this year in new units, as well as the expansion of existing ones. Recently, the company began operations in Recife, Pernambuco, entering the Northeast region, and is now considering expanding into Goiânia.
“We want to expand into the Northeast and Midwest regions. And we may open more than one unit. At the moment, we are conducting these studies, understanding the market, and gauging the interest from clients and brokers,” explains Coelho.
The next city that MedSênior plans to explore is Fortaleza, in Ceará. “But we will also improve our service in the cities where we already operate. We were slow to arrive in the Northeast because we focused heavily on the South and Southeast. But now we are going to expand.”
Today, the company has four hospitals – in Vitória, Espírito Santo; in Taguatinga, Federal District; in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais; and in Rio de Janeiro – in addition to five other emergency units.
The network also has 45 of its own units in seven states and the Federal District, which include 21 outpatient clinics, nine examination laboratories, 16 diagnostic centers, 15 ophthalmology centers, six oncology centers, and 17 autonomy centers.
Last year, the operator performed two million laboratory tests, 726 diagnostic tests, and conducted approximately 650,000 consultations and procedures.
Founded in 2010, Maely Coelho's company is expected to experience a faster rate of expansion compared to the pace of the last 15 years, precisely because of the need for market consolidation.
“When you go from medium to large, the difficulties decrease. That's why I'm betting on faster growth from now on,” says the businessman.
In this new growth plan, MedSênior should gradually allow enrollments for small and micro-enterprises (SMEs). However, this should not represent a significant change in its customer base. According to the CEO, more than 98% of clients are on individual plans.
“We have always focused on the individual, unlike many operators, who prefer group plans. And we only adjust what is determined by the ANS [this year, it was 6.2%]. This gives security to the beneficiary, who doesn't get any surprises,” he says.
