Mexico vows universal care

Mexico’s government has ordered a new Universal Health Service that is meant to let citizens get care across the public system by 2028. (gob.mx) President Claudia Sheinbaum said the decree will connect the Mexican Social Security Institute, the Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers, and IMSS-Bienestar so patients can be treated in any of the three public networks. Registration for a new health credential began April 13 and runs through April 30 for people age 85 and older. (gob.mx) The government’s timetable is staggered. In 2027, officials say the credential will handle appointments, medical records, and referrals, and in the second half of 2027 specialized services will begin to move across institutions; in 2028, the plan calls for universal prescription filling, specialty outpatient visits, referred hospital care, and open primary care for chronic diseases. (gob.mx) Universal health coverage means people can get needed services without financial hardship, according to the World Health Organization. Mexico’s decree targets a system that has long been split by employment status and institution, with separate financing and provider networks. (who.int, eurohealthobservatory.who.int) That split has left households paying heavily out of pocket even with public programs in place. World Bank data sourced from the World Health Organization show out-of-pocket spending accounted for 41.24 percent of Mexico’s current health expenditure in 2023, while total current health spending was 5.50 percent of gross domestic product. (worldbank.org, worldbank.org) Mexico has tried versions of universal coverage before, including Seguro Popular and later the INSABI system, but the World Health Organization’s European Observatory said in 2025 that the health system remained segmented and inequitable. The new decree focuses less on creating a brand-new insurer and more on making existing public institutions interchangeable for patients. (eurohealthobservatory.who.int, gob.mx) The first rollout is centered on older adults. Officials said the credential will gradually replace existing IMSS and ISSSTE cards, function as an official identification document, and eventually link patients to a digital file used across the public system. (gob.mx) The hardest part comes after the decree: staffing clinics, stocking medicines, and making three large bureaucracies share records, referrals, and budgets. Mexico now has a formal 2027-to-2028 roadmap; the test is whether patients can actually use one card to get treated anywhere in the public system. (gob.mx, eurohealthobservatory.who.int)