Although at the national level the catastrophic expenditure of households decreased by 2024 compared to 2022, In the poorest families, located at the lowest income level, It had negative effects and 20,000 households impoverished to pay for health care.
This was revealed by the National Household Revenue and Expenses Survey (ENIGH) 2024 of INEGI, the main input to analyze the evolution of poverty in the country. After reviewing the results, the Economic and Budgetary Research Center (CIEP) warned that the lack of coverage in the public system impacts the population with less resources.
“The poorest families face a greater financial burden to access health services. This situation reflects that the system continues without offering effective protection for those who need it most,” explains the CIEP.
Solidarity collections, the way to pay for health
The second radiotherapy treatment saved Paulina’s life, but also caused an intestine perforation and renal failure. Now you need intestinal reconnection surgery.
Without sufficient resources, her husband Eduardo Cauich chose to start a Solidarity collection that helps reduce the economic pressure of the family so that Paulina continues medical treatment.
“Cancer returned with serious sequelae. He has crossed hemodialysis, septic clashes and three major surgeries,” wrote the resident of Mérida, Yucatán, on a fundraising platform.
“She will use them exclusively to pay the surgery she urgently needs; cover medications, medical supplies and subsequent treatments; liquidate hospitalizations, medical fees and home care; pay part of the accumulated medical debt of the previous interventions,” he explained.
Like them, hundreds of families increasingly resort to solidarity collections when they have a medical emergency and lack access to health services. The Gofundme platform, where collections can be organized, has received dozens of requests from Mexican patients.
And on many occasions, even if there is affiliation to an institution, this does not guarantee effective attention. Judith Méndez, author of the CIEP analysis, explains that although 63% of the population had some public ascription in 2024, of the people who needed medical services, six out of 10 decided to be addressed in private establishments or pharmacies.
The problem is in the case of conditions that generate catastrophic expenses or expensive medical treatments that are not cosketable, so families face impoverishing expenses even if they have policies. In Mexico, only 13 million people have access to private medical insurance, I am patient.
Lorena Colitto knows. She is a young man with myopathic syndrome – a degenerative disease that affects the muscles -, in addition to epilepsy and hypertension. It has spent much of his life in medical treatments, since childhood. First in private hospitals and then in a particular of Mexico City, that the family could no longer pay. The insurer also did not assume the expenses at first.
“After four days without being able to leave the hospital, I had to sign a promissory note to the hospital to get my son,” said the mother in another request of donations.
“Again we are in a delicate situation and, having the economy or insurance, I have not been able to carry out a series of high specialty studies, since they have a very high cost,” he added.
