Social Development and Public Governance > Social Development > Health and HIV/AIDS
The People's Health Insurance Program in Mexico
By Gustavo Nigenda (04/05, En, Es)
Development and Future Challenges
For the first time in the Mexican history, a non-compulsory health insurance program to cover population living in poverty, placed at the bottom of the salary structure, and with no access to social security services was launched by the federal health current administration in (2000-2006). In its pilot stage, between 2001-2003, the program was able to affiliate more than one million 1,000,000 people. The population has to pay a proportion of the premium according to income level and the difference is subsidized by public finances. The Seguro Popular (People´s health insurance program) offers a basic package of 78 interventions, which is already provided in 21 states. Every state has the possibility to upgrade the package according to their convenience and financial capacity. Based on this demand the programme will enter into a new stage in 2004. Although the General Health Law was amended to include the responsibility of federal and states levels to finance the programme, the lack of agreement to pass a fiscal reform by the Congress in December 2003 poses a loom shadow in the future of the programme. The present paper presents in detail the progress made by the program and discusses options that for his future sustainability in a restrictive financial and fiscal environment.
Document available only in Spanish.
This working paper is being published with the sole objective of contributing to the debate on a topic of importance to the region, and to elicit comments and suggestions from interested parties. This paper has not gone through the Department's peer review process or undergone consideration by the SDS Management Team. As such, it does not reflect the official position of the Inter-American Development Bank.
Last updated: 06/01/07
