Besides recognizing the irreversible advances made in the Brazilian Health System, the author unveils the crossroad by identifying questions still pending over the more than seventeen years of the Organic Law on Health - in the management models of the system and of the services, in the healthcare models, in the democratic participation. Scenarios of the current situation are evaluated, the Pact in favor of Life, the Brazilian Health System, the EC-29 regulation (Amendment to the Constitution) and the Plan for Growth Acceleration in Health and its intersections. The author points to some solutions and finally refers to three successive conjunctures - the 80s, the 90s and the present decade - aiming to contribute to the search and choice of directions. This text passed through previous versions that received important corrections and improvements.
Public policies; Health policies; Brazilian National Health System