Mexico’s Universal Health Plan

Mexico’s Universal Health Plan

Mexico is about to achieve its goal of universal healthcare. Around 10 years ago, Mexico enacted a law providing access to healthcare through a government insurance program called Seguro Popular. The new Secretary of Health, Salomón Chertorivski, commented on this achievement.  “In 2000, half of the population in Mexico did have a financial mechanism for health, but that was because of their labor status,” he stated. “If you had a formal or salaried job you had access to social security and social security gave you access to medical attention, financing your medical attention.” Chertorivski went on to say that, “today we already have more than 50 million people registered with Seguro Popular together with those with social security, we are reaching in December universal coverage: that is all Mexicans are going to have a financial mechanism for their health.” This new universal health plan will change the whole foundation of Mexican society and will contribute to improvements in the sphere of economics and the social establishment of the country. Chertorivski described some of the challenges that the health system in Mexico will face in order to succeed in providing a universal health plan to its citizens. He claimed that Mexico is going to have to deal with “moving now from curative to preventative health” and that the country will need to improve the quality of their medical infrastructure. At the moment, President Calderón is extremely serious about this new shift towards universal health system in Mexico. Chertorivski also commented on the importance of the health sector in Mexico’s social, political, and economic realms. He affirmed, “If you invest in health you are investing also in economic growth, you are investing in development, you are investing in productivity.”