INTRODUCTION:
Health systems worldwide face challenges regarding the organization of services to ensure equitable access and quality, aiming to produce effective responses to the needs of all citizens. In Brazil, the Unified Health System (SUS) has addressed this debate and identified gaps in care coverage to expand and better organize specialized care operations, considering the long waiting times that were exacerbated following the pandemic. Furthermore, considering that the supply of specialists and hospital services comes predominantly from the private or social sector, there is a need to develop strong contractual regulatory mechanisms.

METHODS:
An analysis was conducted on the National Policy on Health Regulation in Brazil regarding the guarantee of equitable access and quality in health services.

RESULTS:
The SUS National Policy on Health Regulation outlines three strategic dimensions for analysis: regulation of the system, of care, and of access. Regarding system regulation, public regulatory action is mandatory concerning the market related to health technologies—including medicines—as well as the regulation of the private health services market, carried out by autonomous and independent health agencies. However, the regulation of SUS health service quality, care, and access, as well as health technology assessment, are regulatory processes exercised by governments at the national, state, and municipal levels. These are implemented quite unevenly regarding the guarantee of rights and the promotion of equity.

CONCLUSIONS:
Health regulation is a crucial management instrument that directly impacts the production of care. However, to achieve this, regulatory instruments require mechanisms that enable the health system to mitigate inequalities in public-private supply and foster care integration within health care networks.