As millions of Americans are struggling to ensure affordable healthcare, their neighbors to the south are on track to achieve something that’s been portrayed as impossible. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced an initiative that would secure universal healthcare for the country’s citizens.
According to reports, Sheinbaum issued a decree on April 7 establishing the Servicio Universal de Salud, or Universal Health Service. On Monday (April 13), citizens 85 and older were able to register for their Universal Health Credential, which Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Clark said was “the guarantee of the right to healthcare” for citizens and those foreign residents who are eligible.
By contrast, President Donald Trump has publicly scoffed at providing healthcare for Americans, recently claiming that the current healthcare payment system is already costing too much. “It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing: military protection. We have to guard the country.”
Indeed, Trump has already directed his administration to increase payments to Medicare Advantage, or MA, by 2.48% by the end of 2027. The privately-run group would see a profit of $13 billion dollars, with companies like CVSHealth, UnitedHealth, and Humana benefiting. In addition, Trump is considering having seniors being automatically enrolled in MA as a “default enrollment option” – falling in line with the Heritage Foundation’s express goal of dismantling affordable healthcare as laid out in Project 2025.
Mexico’s Universal Health Service rollout is designed so that the services provided are devoid of any conflict which would compel citizens to seek private treatment which would cost more money. Emergency services would be next by the end of 2027, then radiotherapy, laboratory tests, imaging studies, and other specialized services offered with no charge by the end of 2028.
“The goal is that when we leave the government [in 2030], any Mexican man or woman can go to any health institution for treatment for any ailment and be received,” Sheinbaum said. This comes as Trump is proposing a 10% reduction in non-military spending and reducing Health and Human Services funding by $15.8 billion in his 2027 budget, as he prioritizes the war in Iran and threatens more conflict with Cuba in the future.
