Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan announced that the Armenian government has approved and submitted the legislative package for the introduction of a universal health insurance system to the National Assembly.
“This package has already been sent to parliament. We’ve also proposed that it be reviewed under urgent procedure. We’ve worked on this reform for three years, including with the Civil Contract parliamentary faction. The proposal has been widely discussed and circulated, and we’ve reached a consensus on a coordinated draft, though some amendments may still occur in parliament,” Avanesyan said during a Cabinet meeting, according to Armenpress.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan acknowledged that some have proposed delaying the launch past January 1, 2026, but he opposed such delays.
“We all have some concerns about how the system will function, but our experience shows that every reform faces initial challenges. That’s where reform begins. We’ve already postponed this; it was originally meant to be adopted on January 1 or July 1 of this year,” he said.
If adopted by parliament, the universal health insurance system will take effect on January 1, 2026, and will be implemented in three phases, completing by 2028.
In the first phase (2026), coverage will include:
- Children under 18
- Citizens over 65
- Persons with disabilities aged 18–65
- Socially vulnerable individuals scoring 28 or higher in the evaluation system
- Individuals earning over AMD 200,000 per month
The first phase is expected to cover around 1.6 million residents who have lived in Armenia for at least 183 days in the previous six months. Phase two will begin in 2027, followed by phase three in 2028. The annual insurance fee will be AMD 129,600.
