Does Mexico's Seguro Popular Afford Equal Healthcare Access to Indigenous Peoples?

Abstract

Seguro Popular was part of a major reform to Mexico's healthcare system enacted in 2003. Essentially, it was designed so that Mexico could attain universal health coverage. The 2003 reform that created Seguro Popular mandated that it be targeted to indigenous and rural populations without access to the traditional social security institutions. Given the vulnerability and marginalization of indigenous peoples in Mexico, ensuring that they have equal access to healthcare is important.

In 2010, a survey was carried out by the Ministry of Health, charged with oversight of Seguro Popular, to discern the profile and practices of the program's affiliates. Analysis using this data, reveals that even after common access barriers and contributing factors to healthcare decisions (such as income and education levels) are taken into account, indigenous affiliates are still less likely to use their Seguro Popular policy than non-indigenous affiliates.

The study's finding warrants both more research on understanding indigenous peoples' choices with regard to healthcare utilization and to finding policies and program features that allow for greater access to service provision on behalf of Seguro Popular's indigenous affiliates.