Read the Conversation
Meeting highlights:
- Professional Role & Leadership: Begoña Magaz’s transition to Business Director of Health at MAPFRE Spain. This role integrates both technical (contracts and claims) and business (client management and service) responsibilities, which aim to balance service quality and profitability while continuing to grow MAPFRE’s health segment in Spain.
- Health Business Strategy: Health insurance is one of MAPFRE's main business drivers and has a strong commitment to service excellence, client-centric solutions, and broad product portfolios.
- Prevention-Centric Approach: MAPFRE’s commitment to shift from curative to preventive care as a long-term strategic priority. Currently offering 17 prevention programs within its main health insurance policy.
- Digitalization & AI: Savia plays a key role in digital health transformation at MAPFRE. MAPFRE Health’s App and Savia offer services such as virtual consultations, medical chats, psychotherapy, physiotherapy, and AI-powered triage.
EF: How have your responsibilities evolved since moving from Technical Director to Business Director, and in what ways has this transition shaped your mission at MAPFRE?
BM: I started this new position at the beginning of the year, and I see it as a continuation of my work as Technical Director. The new role gives continuity to the achievements of recent years, leading this health insurance division, while also expanding my management and decision‑making responsibilities in the health business. In addition to my technical focus on products and policyholders, I now oversee claims and ensure that our clients receive the most suitable insurance. My goal is to align both contract design and policy use under one vision; continuing to grow, while keeping a close eye on technical aspects without sacrificing profitability.
This allows us to keep delivering on our promise of comprehensive insurance while providing the best possible service, which has always been a hallmark of our business. MAPFRE has always placed the highest priority on service, which is arguably more crucial in the healthcare solutions for the industry than in other industries. In order to complement our current portfolio and provide all types of customers worldwide, we are continuously innovating, developing new services and products, and enhancing the care we provide to our clients.
EF: In Spain, public–private collaboration in healthcare is still somewhat fragile. How are you approaching this challenge to balance patient accessibility with profitability?
BM: For us, service quality is the top priority. We work to provide customers with insurance that best fits their needs, offering a wide range of products tailored to factors like age, family circumstances, expected usage, and financial means. Our goal is to deliver the right solution at every stage of life, whether someone needs to supplement public insurance or seeks more extensive coverage.
Although public insurance is available to all Spanish citizens, we adapt to different situations. For example, we offer private insurance to those who want it as a complement to public coverage or as an alternative, given the heavy strain on public systems that often leads people to seek other options. At the same time, we are expanding our medical services, adding new professionals and centers every month to ensure clients receive the highest quality care.
We also design business solutions for both large corporations and small to medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs). Since SMEs represent more than 80 percent of all businesses in Spain, they are a vital segment. In recent years, many have recognized the value of offering health insurance as a social benefit to employees, not only improving well‑being but also helping to retain talent. What used to be an option mainly for large enterprises is now increasingly embraced by SMEs, and we are taking important steps to support this shift.
EF: In order to truly emphasize the value of prevention within the Spanish healthcare ecosystem, how have you established collaborative partnerships with potential patient awareness programs or medical professionals?
BM: The market is increasingly moving toward prevention, but balancing that with profitability is challenging since results often take five to ten years to materialize. Stakeholders across the healthcare community understand how vital prevention is for us, and we continue to expand our efforts in this area.
In 2025, we plan to launch a program for the early detection of lung cancer, primarily aimed at smokers over 55. We are also broadening our focus to include children and teenagers, offering supplemental services such as blood tests for the early detection of colorectal cancer and other types of cancer. Currently, we have around 17 prevention programs as part of our broader strategy, covering areas like pregnancy, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, among others. As a company, we remain committed to expanding these initiatives to strengthen our preventive approach.
EF: Could you elaborate on your Savia health app and how you continuously integrate new data, AI, and technology into your operations?
BM: For us, Savia is more than just a health services company; it is a key driver of the digitalization of health insurance and a cornerstone of MAPFRE’s digital transformation. Through Savia, we have built a platform that offers virtual consultations in more than 50 specialties. Some services are AI‑based, such as medical chat, sick leave management, and trauma rehabilitation. Of course, there must always be a doctor behind every AI solution.
For example, we use AI‑supported triage in specialties like dermatology and psychotherapy, but our medical team ensures that triage is accurate and that any red flags are immediately escalated to a human professional. Our aim is to apply artificial intelligence in a humanistic and ethical way. Most of Savia’s solutions are integrated into the MAPFRE health app, which allows us to provide value beyond the traditional model of insurance based solely on doctor visits. This reflects our vision of building a more resilient and sustainable healthcare system in Spain, one that prioritizes prevention, accessibility, and personalization.
EF: What are some of the strategies you've utilized to try to keep your employees motivated, focused on the vision, and developing solutions that best suit your clients?
BM: MAPFRE’s model for retaining talent is built on a shared vision. Employees are central to the company, and everyone understands that we are all in the same boat, steering in the same direction. This unity extends across all departments, whether we are working on transformation, digitalization, or AI. While some may feel apprehensive or lack certain skills, at MAPFRE, no one is left behind.
Moving forward together makes everything easier. Whether in business, IT, or digital health at Savia, we all share the belief that we must give our best. This mindset is what makes it possible to implement the kinds of solutions we are pursuing. With a workforce that spans many backgrounds, ages, and levels of experience, it is inspiring to see how MAPFRE leads in nurturing talent and uniting everyone under a single vision.
Our employer brand slogan, “MAPFRE: where your time matters,” reflects this philosophy. The company’s objectives are achieved through its people, and MAPFRE goes above and beyond for its employees. It is truly rewarding to work for a company so deeply committed to supporting both its staff and the wider community. As long as this continues, I hope to remain here for many more years.
EF: Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, what do you see as Spain’s top healthcare priority?
BM: I believe we need to look to Europe for inspiration. This year, in my view, will be defined by data, artificial intelligence, and interoperability. Overall, our healthcare system is strong, but there are challenges between the public and private sectors.
Shifting the conversation toward data and AI presents a major opportunity to offer our clients new solutions, particularly in preventive medicine, alongside basic health insurance coverage. We are moving toward a more complete ecosystem that includes supplemental services from sports and wellness programs to home hospitalization and senior care, even if they are not traditionally tied to insurance.
Insurance is a regulated and complex industry with its own actuarial requirements, but companies like MAPFRE must go further, providing complementary services in addition to insurance. Instead of talking only about health, we should be talking about well‑being. Achieving a full picture of well‑being means considering not just physical health but also mental and financial health.
