To benefit from Mexican social protection, you must have been in the country for four weeks and apply to join. You will be assigned a family doctor whom you cannot change, and only they can refer you to a specialist. Because of the size of the informal sector in the country, many Mexicans had no access to this health system. Since 2003, an ongoing reform has been trying to address this: the Seguro Popular now covers people who do not work in the “formal” economy, giving them better access to care.

The quality of care and equipment often leaves something to be desired, when it is not simply unavailable or overstretched, and medicines are fairly expensive. Expats — and those who can afford it — prefer to turn to private clinics, which are much more expensive, and therefore take out private insurance.