The Myth of Mexico’s Universal Healthcare System

Our answer to a story spreading online that got Mexico's health system all wrong.

Several progressive outlets reported last week that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had “rolled out universal healthcare,” with some experts on the record calling it a “dream” and expressing frustration that the United States had not moved in a similar direction.

The story spread quickly on social media, and people in the United States even reached out to congratulate me for living in a country they considered so socially advanced.

The problem is that none of it is true.

And it is worth being careful about which accounts you follow, because Trumpism has pushed many liberals to romanticize Mexico and its female president.

So I am going to use this week’s Mexico Decoded essay to explain what was actually announced in Mexico, why it matters but does not mean Mexico has a real universal public healthcare system, and to give a clearer picture of how public healthcare in Mexico actually works.