The health economy in Mexico Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas
Abstract The global health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the important connection between the economy and health. This relationship exists at the microeconomic, macroeconomic and institutional levels, as health markets tend to suffer from market failures; health expenditure tends to increase as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), and its financing has long-term implications for public finances. In the case of Mexico, the creation of a public health system that is segmented —as a result of the social protection scheme applied since 1943, which has been reformed several times in recent years— has contributed to making access to health a major factor in inequality, playing a part in the multidimensional poverty of a significant segment of the population.
Keywords Health, health economics, public health, public expenditures, health services, right to health, population, social welfare, health policy, Mexico JEL classification H41, H44, I10, I13, I14, I18, I38 Author Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas is a Tenured Professor with the Faculty of Economics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He is currently Secretary-General of UNAM. Email: leolomeli@gmail.com.
