Armenia’s Health Ministry has proposed amendments to the Law on Universal Health Insurance after a number of serious problems and gaps emerged during the rollout of the country’s universal health insurance system. The draft legislation has already been prepared and submitted for public discussion.
According to Panorama.am, one of the main issues is the large number of cases involving unpaid insurance premiums. These cases include people who lost their jobs after joining the system, individuals engaged in personal agricultural activity, and several other groups.
Under the current rules, those individuals keep their insured status and continue to enjoy all related rights until the end of their 12-month insured period within the universal health insurance system.
The draft’s rationale says court-based recovery of the resulting monetary claims would be highly time-consuming and costly for the Universal Health Insurance Fund. It would also place an additional burden on the courts and would not provide an efficient way to collect unpaid premiums, creating risks for the universal health insurance budget. The document also notes that, given its current staffing resources, the Fund cannot effectively manage such a large number of court cases.
For that reason, the proposed amendments are designed to improve the collection of unpaid insurance premiums. The bill aims to clarify the rules on termination of insured status and premium payment obligations, taking into account individuals’ different statuses as well as the circumstances under which payment obligations arise and end.
The draft law states that cases in which a person liable for an insurance premium fails to meet the obligation set by law should be regulated separately. Under the proposal, the Fund would initiate the relevant proceedings, allow the person to submit information on whether the obligation exists, adopt a binding decision, and establish an appeal procedure for that decision.
Armenia’s universal health insurance system started operating on January 1, 2026. In the first phase, it covered citizens earning salaries of 200,000 drams or more. It also included everyone under 18 and everyone aged 65 and older, regardless of income. The state will fully finance these groups in 2026.
The mandatory insurance package costs 129,600 drams per year. It includes preventive and early detection programs, screening, hospital treatment, medication coverage and emergency medical services. For people earning between 200,000 and 500,000 drams, the state covers most of the cost, and they pay only 300 drams per month because a significant share of funds directed to the ZINAPAH Foundation is being redirected to the insurance system.
