Health · Healthcare & Policy · 1 hr ago
Health investment is an overlooked growth opportunity in Latin America
At a health event in San José, Costa Rica, Brad Herbig of the McKinsey Health Institute argued that Latin America is not making full use of health investment as a way to support economic growth.
He said governments should treat health spending as an investment, not only as a budget cost.
The region’s population is ageing, chronic diseases are increasing, and governments have limited fiscal room.
Only 5% of public health spending in Latin America goes to prevention, according to the figures presented by Herbig.
He also said more than 70% of years lived in poor health occur during people’s working years, while family members often reduce or leave work to care for sick relatives.
Life expectancy has risen from 51 to 77 years over the past 75 years, but the time people live in poor health has also increased and is projected to rise further by 2050.
Herbig said expanding access to proven, cost-effective health interventions could reduce the region’s overall disease burden by 30% by 2050.
At Roche Press Day 2026, McKinsey Health Institute director Brad Herbig described health investment as Latin America’s most underused socioeconomic growth strategy.
He said scaling access to established, cost-effective health interventions could reduce the region’s disease burden by 30% by 2050.
The article says Latin American countries allocate just 5% of public health spending to preventive medicine.
More than 70% of years lived in poor health occur during people’s most productive working years, according to the article.
The time people live in poor health rose from 10 years in 2000 to 11 years at present, and is projected to reach 12 years by 2050.
- Who
- Brad Herbig, director of data and analytics at the McKinsey Health Institute, presented the analysis.
- What
- He argued that health investment is an underused growth opportunity in Latin America.
- When
- During Roche Press Day 2026; the article was published on October 13, 2026.
- Where
- San José, Costa Rica.
- Why
- The region faces rising demand for health services, tight fiscal margins and stagnant labor productivity, while health’s economic effects are underappreciated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The time people in Latin America lived in poor health was 10 years.
The article says the figure has risen to 11 years.
The figure is projected to reach 12 years, while noncommunicable diseases are expected to account for 83% of the region’s disease burden.
- Preventive medicine spending
- 5% of public health spending in Latin American countries
- Working-age health burden
- More than 70% of years lived in poor health
- Life expectancy
- Rose from 51 to 77 years over the past 75 years
- Poor-health years
- 10 years in 2000; 11 years currently; projected to reach 12 years by 2050
- Potential disease-burden reduction
- 30% by 2050 through expanded access to known, cost-effective interventions
Sources
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