Universal Health System Decree Signed: Mexicans Can Access Any Public Health Facility Regardless of Affiliation

President Sheinbaum formally signed the presidential decree creating the Sistema Universal de Salud on April 8, completing the announcement made the previous day. The decree eliminates the institutional barriers that previously prevented Mexican citizens from receiving medical care at public health facilities belonging to a different system than their own registration (e.g., IMSS patients being turned away at ISSSTE facilities). The reform covers approximately 87 million Mexicans who depend on public healthcare and is designed to address geographic and institutional gaps in service delivery. Registration for adults over 85 was set to begin April 13–30, 2026, as a pilot phase. The signing represented one of the most significant structural health governance changes since the dissolution of Seguro Popular under the AMLO administration.