Pedro Martínez had paid health insurance for more than a decade and thought that would cover his treatment. What he didn’t realize was that the deductibles would jeopardise his entire family’s finances the moment he entered hospital in the western state of Jalisco.
“We had to pay $2,500 before they’d even admit my father to hospital. Then two days later they asked us for $5,000 more,” said Manuel, speaking by phone from Cuquío, the village where the family lives a two-hour drive from the hospital in the city of Zapopan.
“My father was getting worse, and the bill was getting bigger. In less than a week they asked us for a deposit of $15,000 or they wouldn’t treat him. When he died there was a bill of more than $60,000” – more than 13 times Mexico’s average annual wage.