Mexico's medical claim payments rise 16% in 2026, with cancer at the top

November 5, 2026. Insurers operating in Mexico paid 73,824 million pesos in accident and illness claims during the first half of 2026, 16% more than a year earlier, according to the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions (AMIS). Major medical insurance accounts for 97% of that money.

The figures come as AMIS holds Insurance Week, from October 30 to November 10, to promote prevention. And they make one thing clear: private health insurance in Mexico pays, and it pays more every year.

Major medical: 100,852 pesos per claim on average

In the first quarter of 2026, the average claim was 100,852 pesos, 17.8% more than in the same period of 2025. Since 2023, payments in the accident and illness line, 97% of which are major medical, have grown 48%, from 49,917 million to more than 73,000 million pesos. And it is not an isolated line: in the first quarter, the sector paid 142,307 million pesos in claims across all lines, more than 1,580 million a day, according to another AMIS report.

Norma Alicia Rosas, director general of AMIS, said the figures are mainly due to two factors: there are more insured people, a number that grew 3% last year, and the rising cost of private medical care.

Cancer, the condition insurers pay most for

Cancers and tumors cost the industry the most: 5,576 million pesos at the close of the first quarter of 2026. In all of 2025 the sector paid 28,018 million pesos for cancer, and breast cancer accounted for 3,302 million, 12% of the total.

The average annual cost of care per case shows why a diagnosis like this can upend any family's finances:

94,330 cancer patients treated with their insurance

In 2025 the industry handled cancer and tumor claims for 94,330 people, 29% more than in 2020. With a policy, each insured person pays the deductible and coinsurance, and the insurer covers the rest of the eligible costs up to the sum insured.

The other side is people without insurance. For reference, the average annual amount the industry paid per stomach cancer case was 674,974 pesos; without a policy, costs of that size come out of the family's pocket. And according to AMIS data cited by Publimetro, only 10.97% of Mexicans have major medical insurance.

What it means if you are a foreigner living in Mexico

If you moved from the United States, it helps to know both figures without forcing the comparison. HealthCare.gov warns that comprehensive cancer care can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In Mexico, the average annual amount insurers paid per case ranges from 239,537 pesos for breast cancer to 674,974 for stomach cancer, about $12,799 to $36,067 at the Bank of Mexico FIX rate of November 5 (18.7147). They are not equivalent: one is a cost range in the US, the other an average paid by Mexican insurers. What they do show is that in both countries a diagnosis like this calls for insurance with a large enough sum insured.

Insurance Week: the gap still to close

AMIS is using the second edition of Insurance Week to talk about the protection gap. According to the 2024 National Financial Inclusion Survey cited by the association, 18.3% of women had some kind of insurance, compared with 28.2% of men; and, according to AMIS's own figures, only 9.5% of Mexican women have major medical insurance. The campaign includes university forums, 57 partner institutions and a free Financial Protection Simulator.

Before you buy or renew a policy

• Compare your sum insured with these costs. Several years of cancer treatment can use up a low sum insured.
• Check the deductible, coinsurance and coinsurance cap. That is your share of the bill.
• Consider critical illness insurance. It pays a lump sum when a covered condition is diagnosed, which you can use for whatever the medical policy does not cover.
• Buy early. Waiting periods for certain conditions start counting from the policy start date.

At 1SEGUROS we compare major medical insurance from several insurers and help you read the fine print before you sign, in English or Spanish. Message us on WhatsApp at +52 999 316 7145.