Mexican Official Lays Groundwork for Cross-Border Health Plan

The secretary of health for Mexico during a visit to San Francisco on Monday discussed the possibility of establishing a basic health care plan for Mexican citizens living in California, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos -- a former hospital chief and medical school director appointed by President Felipe Calderon -- said he plans to meet with U.S. health officials and Mexican immigrant community leaders. The ultimate goal of the plan is to provide medical services to the population through a universal health coverage plan being developed by Calderon.

Cordova said, "We can build a new model for attention to the health needs of Mexican workers here." He said that the U.S. and Mexico share responsibility for providing health care services and that U.S. companies that hire Mexican workers should provide health coverage.

During the visits, Cordova met with groups in the San Francisco Bay Area that provide health care services to Mexican immigrants and hosted a dinner for officials from the University of California, the office of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), and state and federal health officials.

Representatives of think tanks and other not-for-profit organizations said the visit was a positive step toward addressing the cost of providing health care for uninsured immigrants, although some groups said more action was needed on the issue (Hendricks, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/24).