Health Minister Anahit Avanesian announced in January that the mandatory insurance plan will initially cover medical costs for underage and disabled citizens and several other vulnerable groups of people who are already eligible for many free services. She said it will be extended to pensioners next year and the entire population in 2027.
A relevant bill drafted by the Armenian Ministry of Health was submitted at the time to the government for approval. It calls for a special tax that will cover the cost of surgeries and other essential medical services.
The bill has yet to be discussed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s cabinet, with the Ministry of Finance still examining it. The ministry declined to clarify late last week when it could give the formal green light.
Meanwhile, Avanesian admitted that the introduction of the insurance system will not start as planned in July. She gave no new date for its launch, saying only that the Armenian parliament will likely debate the bill this fall.
“This is a large-scale reform that will require massive spending from the state budget,” the minister said without specifying that cost.
It also remains unclear which specific diseases, surgeries, other medical procedures and drugs will be covered by the mandatory insurance. Other officials from the Ministry of Health said earlier that they will include heart and cancer surgeries.
The ministry had already attempted to introduce such a system in early 2022. Pashinian’s government put those plans on hold a few months later.
Armenia’s former governments too had promised health insurance for all citizens. But they eventually backed away in the face of financial difficulties.