Handout picture released by the Argentinian Presidency of President Javier Milei speaking after receiving an honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) from authorities of the University of San Martin de Porres during a ceremony at the university's Faculty of Law in Lima on July 28, 2026. (Photo by Handout / Argentinian Presidency / AFP)
Argentina’s federal government will no longer finance hospital care for non-resident foreigners, moving forward with a cost-cutting order issued last year by President Javier Milei, his office announced Tuesday.
A presidential spokesperson said the move would not impact life-saving emergency care, which “must not be delayed,” while the Ministry of Health noted that “cardiac arrest, heart attacks, strokes, severe trauma, massive hemorrhages, extensive burns, and obstetric, pediatric, or neonatal emergencies” would remain free of charge.
It would also appear to be limited by the fact that the Argentine health system is largely run by individual provinces, except certain regional hospitals managed at the federal level.
Milei, a self-declared “anarcho-capitalist” and a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has repeatedly argued that the cash-strapped Argentine state should not be extending its largesse — including free health care — to foreigners who do not pay tax.
