- Download our Moving to Mexico Guide (PDF)
Healthcare in Mexico is of a high standard and affordable. The quality and lower cost of healthcare and health insurance here have drawn many US citizens, especially those without insurance, across the border for cheaper treatment.
Public care is affordable and widely available, but private hospitals tend to be more consistent and better equipped for specialised procedures.
If you’re moving to Mexico, think about private health insurance: public hospitals get crowded, and waits can be long, while private hospitals offer more personal attention and quicker treatment.
Public healthcare in Mexico
The Secretariat of Health funds public healthcare in Mexico. If you take a formal job with a Mexican employer, you and your employer both contribute to IMSS (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social), and the state tops it up. State workers fall under ISSSTE, while IMSS Bienestar covers people outside formal employment. Retired residents can voluntarily enrol in IMSS, although the paperwork is demanding and the process is entirely in Spanish.
IMSS is inexpensive, but its big catch is pre-existing conditions: some are excluded outright, and others are only covered after a waiting period.
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Private healthcare in Mexico
Private healthcare in Mexico is where most expats end up, since care in the public system can be uneven. Yes, you pay for it. What you get back is speed above all. Appointments and specialist referrals that drag on for weeks in the public system often happen within days here, and the wards are more comfortable too.
The best private hospitals are concentrated in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara, so a serious procedure may mean a trip to one of them; smaller towns have far fewer good options.
Many doctors in these hospitals speak English, especially in expat-heavy areas, although nurses often speak only Spanish. Newcomers are often surprised that a doctor will hand over a WhatsApp number and reply to messages directly.
Health insurance in Mexico
Line up your health insurance in Mexico before you need it. If you’d rather not pay fully out of pocket, voluntary IMSS enrolment is a popular budget route for legal residents.
For private cover, be mindful that some private hospitals won’t bill your international insurer directly. Instead, you pay upfront and claim the money back later. Keep every factura (receipt) and your full medical records on file.
Pharmacies and medication in Mexico
You’ll have no trouble finding pharmacies in Mexico; look for the green cross and the word farmacia. Some are open around the clock.
What matters is knowing what needs a prescription and what doesn’t. You can buy most medicines over the counter, and plenty that demand a doctor’s signature back home need nothing more than a request at the counter here; refilling blood pressure tablets or picking up an asthma inhaler is usually that simple.
Antibiotics are the exception, and you’ll need a prescription from a Mexican licensed doctor; a foreign one won’t do at the counter. You’ll also need one for controlled medicines such as strong painkillers and sedatives. Pharmacies still carry the older Segunda Clase and Primera Clase licences, and only the Primera Clase ones may dispense regulated drugs.
When you need that prescription quickly, the big chains help: Farmacias del Ahorro and Farmacias Similares, among others, have attached consultorios where a GP will see you for a minor complaint at low cost and write what you need.
Health hazards in Mexico
Some of the health hazards in Mexico are mosquito-borne, including the Zika and chikungunya viruses. Malaria is uncommon and limited to a few rural areas. Dengue risk is highest in the warm, low-lying coastal areas during the rainy season, roughly June to October. Protect yourself against mosquito bites, since the same mosquitoes carry chikungunya and Zika. Ask your GP or a healthcare professional about precautions before you arrive.
The altitude is easy to underestimate. At about 7,350 feet (2,240m) above sea level, Mexico City is high enough that your first days there can be uncomfortable; expect headaches and poor sleep, and don’t be surprised if a flight of stairs leaves you breathless. The city’s air pollution can be hard on anyone with a respiratory condition, particularly young children and older adults.
Most households don’t drink tap water. Instead, keep a garrafón, the big 20-litre (5-gallon) refillable jug. You can buy one at almost any corner shop or have it delivered. Be wary of raw salads and fruit rinsed in tap water, and of ice outside reputable places, since these are common routes to a stomach upset.
Vaccinations in Mexico
Book your vaccinations about six weeks before you travel to Mexico, so a doctor has time to bring you up to date.
No special vaccinations are required to enter Mexico for most travellers, although you’ll need proof of yellow fever vaccination if you’re arriving from a country where it’s a risk. Keep your routine vaccinations current, including MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), polio, and tetanus.
On top of the routine schedule, vaccines against hepatitis A and B, typhoid, and rabies are commonly recommended for travel to Mexico. Hepatitis A is the one doctors most often press, since the virus is endemic here.
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Emergency medical services in Mexico
The number to know for emergency medical services in Mexico is 911. It’s free from any phone and answered locally, and the operator picks up your location automatically. Operators may not speak English, so it helps to know your address in Spanish.
For roadside trouble or tourist help, call 078 for the Green Angels, who have English-speaking operators.
Ambulances can be slow to reach rural areas, and the public service is inconsistent; for anything that isn’t life-threatening, many residents simply take a taxi or a private ambulance to the nearest hospital. As a foreign resident or visitor, expect to pay upfront for an ambulance unless your cover includes it.
Most insurers give clients a list of approved hospital numbers, so save yours before you need it. In Mexico City, the official city app includes an emergency panic button feature.