OECD Reviews of Health Systems: Mexico 2016
Ten years after the introduction of publically-funded universal health insurance,
the Mexican health system finds itself at a critical juncture. Unquestionably, some
measures of health and health system performance have improved: those previously uninsured
now use health services more often, whilst numbers reporting impoverishing health
expenditure having fallen from 3.3% to 0.8%. Other indicators, however, remain worrying.
Rates of survival after heart attack or stroke are markedly worse than in other OECD
countries. Prevention is a particular concern: with 32% of the adult population obese,
Mexico ranks as the second most obese nation in the OECD and almost 1 in 6 adults
are diabetic. Other key metrics imply deep-rooted inefficiencies in the system: administrative
costs, at 8.9% of total health spending, are the highest in the OECD and have not
reduced over the past decade. Likewise, out-of-pocket spending has stuck at nearly
50% of total health spending - the highest in the OECD - and implies that individuals
feel the need to visit private clinic despite having health insurance. In short, Mexico’s
massive public investment in its health system has failed to translate into better
health and health system performance to the extent wished and a programme of continued,
extensive reform is needed. This report sets out the OECD’s recommendations on the
steps Mexico should take to achieve this.
Published on January 06, 2016Also available in: Spanish
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