Does RIGHT TO LIFE Mean BIRTH or GOOD HEALTH?
Many old folks may consider moving to México given some great news coming from there regarding the right to life. Some extremists in the USA will tell you that Right to Life means being against abortion and that life begins at conception. When these extremists move into the electoral realm and get elected to office they usually cut off any funding for any health program that is pro-abortion like Planned Parenthood. The Trump Administration has defunded Planned Parenthood since 2025 and now any program within Medicaid and Title X family planning grants have also lost federal funding. Some states like Massachusetts and California have stepped up and allocated emergency state funding to continue access to reproductive health care.
To others, mainly in countries, like Russia, China, the Nordic nations, some European countries like Spain, the Right to Life means a universal health care system for the entire population of their country. Spain’s system is called the Sistema Nacional de Salud (SNS).There are no out-of-pocket fees charged to patients needing services, hospitalization,, surgeries or emergency care. Prescriptions are subsidized and the patient’s cost is based on income level. The only two exclusions are dental and optical care. If you want to move there, it takes 5 years for full coverage while you establish residency and or naturalization. It is a basic right to enjoy a good life, as healthy as possible .
In the Americas, North, Central and South, these countries have universal health care systems in place already:. Canadá, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Costa Rica, Trinidad y Tobago, Uruguay, and now, México. The USA is the only industrialized country in the world without universal health care.
USA policy is not to make health care affordable much less universal and free. Its privatized, unregulated, and run by mega-monopolies of doctors, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, affiliated medical subsidiaries like radiologists, blood/urine evaluators, dialysis providers, for example, and their lobbyists.
México Joins the Movement
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has signed into law the Universal Health Care System, (UHS) combining all three services presently available into one single, coordinated system that will be free of charge for primary care, emergency services, and treatments for complex illnesses such as cancer, kidney, and heart. The program kicked off this past April 26th, prioritizing seniors between ages 85 and older to be the first in line. By next January1, 2027 the system will be operational throughout the country regardless of where the person first signed up for the universal health card. Between 2027 and 2028 the UHS will begin covering prescriptions, chronic diseases, specialized procedures and all other medical related issues. The government has set 2028 for the entire system to be fully operational and available in all public clinics, hospitals, and long-term care facilities in the country.
What about Me?
That is the main question among the 13 million or so ex-patriots of México who are living in the USA. Are they covered by the new UHS? Yes, if they meet certain criteria such as having a valid Mexican birth certificate and a Clave Unica de Registro de Población or known as the CURP. The only restriction for those outside the country is that medical services will only be covered in México, not while outside the country.
To get the UHS card a person must either go the nearest IMSS-BIinestar office (find it at gob.mx/bienestar) and bring a Mexican voter credential, Mexican passport or Mexican matricula Consular plus your CURP, a utility bill with your name on it for the past six months, and a telephone number for verification. With card in hand, persons are entitled to the basic right to a healthy life in Mexico. Viva México!
Just to put the countries, USA and México in perspective, let me share some data. The national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Mexico last year was $1.86 trillion dollars comparted to that of the USA at $28.75 trillion dollars. The USA ranks number 1 in the world with GDP while México is at the 13th slot. For every $1 dollar of economic output in México, the US produces about $15, and a large portion is from Mexican and Mexican origin labor and consumers in the USA. Putting it another way, in México the per capita GDP is about $14,200 dollars while in the USA it is $84,500. So why and how can México have a universal health care system that is free for all its citizens but not the richer USA? Answer: Politics and Money. The health services policy in the USA is a result of major corporate interests including providers and pharmaceuticals. It is a business like any other interested mainly in profits and dividends from stock investments. These billionaire/trillionaire business interests control the policy making process from start to finish. The USA government is controlled by those with money from beginning campaigns for public office to the lobbyist who keep tabs on how those they helped win with money are voting. The USA has the best government that money can buy and no universal health care. The Right to Life here in the USA does not mean a healthy life for you and me. Canadá is too cold for me. Uruguay, Argentina, and México look better. I might qualify for a Mexican UHS card, so maybe I will get it just to be protected when I am in México visiting relatives or vacationing.