Medical inflation affects patients; one in five abandons treatment for lack of money

Rising medical costs in Mexico are placing immense financial pressure on patients, compelling one in five individuals to discontinue essential treatments. Specialists highlighted during a webinar organized by the civil association Soy Paciente that the combination of escalating medication and healthcare service prices, coupled with insufficient public spending, is creating a critical situation.

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The impact of medical inflation can even compromise the continuity of treatments. One in five people interrupts their treatment due to some economic problem.

Andrés Castañeda, a specialist in health management and policies, reported that medication prices have surged by 53.6% since 2018. In 2024 alone, Mexican households spent an average of 6,421 pesos on health-related expenses, with nearly 40% of that amount allocated to purchasing medicines. "The impact of medical inflation can even compromise the continuity of treatments. One in five people interrupts their treatment due to some economic problem," Castañeda warned.

The financial burden is not limited to those without social security. Even among beneficiaries of public health institutions like IMSS and ISSSTE, a significant portion of healthcare costs, 40% and 52% respectively, comes out-of-pocket. Judith Méndez, director of the Center for Economic and Budgetary Research (CIEP), pointed out that Mexico allocates only 2.6% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the health sector, falling drastically short of the internationally recommended minimum of 6%.

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Mexico allocates only 2.6 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the health sector, far below the minimum of 6 percent recommended internationally.

Factors contributing to the rising costs include technological innovation, research expenses, and the market power of the pharmaceutical industry. For instance, the price of 250mg metformin with 30 tablets has increased between 50% and 205% since 2018. Luis Fernando Hernández Lezama, president of Soy Paciente, emphasized that access to healthcare faces growing economic pressure, reminding that Mexican jurisprudence considers medical acts as services, not commercial transactions. Specialists also noted that six out of ten people needing medical attention end up resorting to informal or potentially unsafe practices.

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Mexican jurisprudence establishes that medical acts are services and should not be considered commercial acts.