The global health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the important connection between the economy and health. This relationship exists at the microeconomic, macroeconomic and institutional levels, as health markets tend to suffer from market failures; health expenditure tends to increase as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), and its financing has long-term implications for public finances. In the case of Mexico, the creation of a public health system that is segmented —as a result of the social protection scheme applied since 1943, which has been reformed several times in recent years— has contributed to making access to health a major factor in inequality, playing a part in the multidimensional poverty of a significant segment of the population.