Ministry Addresses Universal Health Insurance Questions

With universal health insurance reimbursement, medical assistance can be accessed at both public and private healthcare facilities using the insurance certificate.

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia has provided answers to citizens' questions regarding the universal health insurance system, which will be implemented in phases starting from January 1.

In the first phase, the insurance system will cover Armenian citizens and residents under 18 years old, individuals aged 18-23 who are without parental care, students under 26 without parental care, citizens aged 65 and over, citizens with a disability group of 1-3, persons with severe, moderate, or deep functional restrictions, family members of deceased servicemen, participants in the cleanup of the Chernobyl disaster, World War participants and their equivalents, political prisoners, former servicemen receiving military disability pensions, one parent of a child with a disability, adoptive parents, guardians, or caregivers, members of families with a designated hardship unit or degree as determined by the government, individuals earning 200,001 drams and above, individual entrepreneurs with a gross income of 2,400,001 drams and above, and notaries.

The insurance package will be the same for everyone, costing 129,600 drams annually or 10,800 drams monthly. A specific list of diseases, diagnoses, screenings, and medications included in the insurance package will be available in the “Armed” application, as well as on the official websites of the Ministry of Health and the Insurance Fund.

Citizens will be informed via SMS that they have been included in the insurance system and will need to provide consent. They will then need to register in the “Armed” application and give consent for state insurance with a single click. If a citizen does not have access to the electronic application, they can also confirm their consent through their family doctor, outpatient therapist, or nurse.

The ministry also clarified that if a citizen has been included in the insurance system and subsequently becomes unemployed, will they continue to pay for insurance. “When a citizen becomes unemployed, they are registered within the temporary incapacity system, from which they receive a certain amount for some time. Therefore, they must also pay for insurance during those months. Once a citizen enters the insurance system, they remain within the system for 12 months regardless of whether they meet the inclusion requirements during those 12 months,” the agency stated.