Armenia to Launch Mandatory Health Insurance in 2026 After Years of Delay, Health Minister Confirms

Armenia is set to launch a mandatory health insurance system in 2026, ending a long delay in healthcare reform. The country’s Health Minister, Anahit Avanesyan, confirmed this in a recent interview. This new system aims to change how healthcare is paid for across the country and ensure that everyone has access to medical services.

The plan for mandatory health insurance has been in discussion for several years. The goal is to provide universal health coverage by 2027. According to a draft law shared in 2023, every citizen will pay an annual health insurance premium of about $420. However, the state will cover certain vulnerable groups, including children, elderly people, and those with disabilities. This law is currently being reviewed by the government. Once approved, it will allow the gradual introduction of one unified health insurance system throughout Armenia.

The idea of mandatory health insurance was first introduced in 2019 by then-Health Minister Arsen Torosyan. He suggested funding the system with a 6% payroll tax. However, this idea faced strong opposition from the Finance Minister at the time, Atom Janjughazyan. The Finance Minister argued that the tax would unfairly affect workers with salaries and go against the government’s goal of reducing taxes overall.

Originally, the health insurance system was supposed to start in 2022. But two major events caused delays: the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. In early 2023, Minister Avanesyan said the rollout would start in phases that year, with pensioners included in 2025, and full implementation by 2027. Despite this, by late 2023, the government had not approved the insurance law or allocated the funds needed to start the program.

In 2023, the government approved the “Concept for the Introduction of Comprehensive Health Insurance.” This plan sets out three stages: preparation in 2023, pilot testing from 2024 to 2026, and mandatory coverage starting in 2027. The system will offer one standard insurance package for everyone, with differences only based on age and gender. To receive benefits, insured people must also have yearly health checkups.

Armenia currently spends only 1.4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on public health. This is much lower than similar countries in the region, where the average is between 5% and 6%. The Health Ministry says that without a steady funding system, Armenia’s healthcare will continue to have problems like fragmented services, low pay for medical staff, and unequal access to care.

To manage the new insurance system, the government plans to create a new insurance fund and a national register. These will help organize the program and keep it running smoothly.

This long-awaited reform could make healthcare easier to access for all Armenians. 

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