ABSTRACT
Some of the national initiatives which may affect health status and health care delivery include the impetus towards free trade between the United States (US), Canada, and Mexico; a push to privatize much of the health care delivery in Mexico; the movement toward a more uniform national system in the US One initiative that would also lead to further convergence of the some health care systems would be the increased portability of health care coverage across the border. On the Mexican side, with possible increased private insurance and the growing importance of the maquiladora industries on the border, it might lead to even more cross-border utilization. Improvement of border health may be one of the preconditions for the further integration of the Mexican and US economies. A correlate of the rapid population growth in Mexico and Central America and in the Mexican-origin population in the US has been increased recognition for importance of the border between the US and Mexico.
