Argentina restricts free hospital care for foreigners

Argentina’s federal government will no longer finance hospital care for non-resident foreigners, according to PUNCH, which cited an announcement from President Javier Milei’s office on Tuesday.

A presidential spokesperson said the move, targeting “medical tourism,” would not affect life-saving emergency care such as cardiac arrest, strokes and severe trauma. Milei, a self-declared anarcho-capitalist, has argued the cash-strapped state shouldn’t extend free healthcare to non-taxpaying foreigners.

However, Buenos Aires health minister Nicolas Kreplak disputed the justification, noting non-resident foreigners account for just 0.4 percent of emergency visits, and blamed underfunding instead.