Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has issued a landmark decree to establish a Universal Health Service, initiating a process to ensure all 120 million citizens can access any public medical institution. The first phase begins April 13 with the rollout of a new Universal Health Credential, starting with citizens aged 85 and older. This unified digital and physical platform aims to eventually streamline care across facilities like the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), the Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE), and IMSS-Bienestar.
Reading the article, it sounds like they are consolidating a few existing umbrellas under one that covers everyone.
Ultimately, as long as they have the resources to fund the remaining people who were falling through the cracks before, this will be a good thing. Having one system reduces some of the bureaucracy of multiple similar systems, and people are more likely to get care once everyone is familiar with the universal coverage. Both of those things will save resources in the long run + make the community healthier