Friday, August 17 2012 20:42
Only 5-10% of population in Armenia enjoy health insurance
ArmInfo. Only 5-10% of the population in Armenia enjoy health insurance, Armen Shahinyan, representative of Nairi Insurance, said at today's press conference.
He said that the persons having health insurance policies belong to the comparatively well-off social group. So, it is necessary to launch compulsory health insurance for the whole population to be able to insure their health. "I cannot say precisely when a law on compulsory health insurance will be adopted in Armenia, it will supposedly be in 2013, but I can say with confidence that compulsory health insurance will be introduced by all means", Shahinyan stressed. He added that compulsory health insurance is the most effective instrument to solve the health problems.
"Now it is rather hard for us to work in the market of health insurance, as the health insurance culture is currently being formed in Armenia, and in addition to providing services, the company contributes to introduction of this culture in the Armenian insurance market", he stressed.
The insurer told journalists that the social package for state employees consists of 4 components worth a total of 132 thsd AMD. The first component is the voluntary health insurance, the basic value of which is 52 thsd AMD. Within its frames, the insuree can receive only in-patient treatment outside the government order. The other 80 thsd AMD can be spent on payments for leisure, education and mortgage loans at the beneficiary's discretion. As the value of the voluntary health insurance (52 thsd AMD) is insufficient for receiving full treatment, alongside with the basic health insurance component, Nairi Insurance also offers VIP-packages. To note, the social packages in Armenia have been provided to the state employees since Jan 2012. The package is meant for 120,000 employees working at various state establishments.
According to the Ranking of Armenian Insurance Companies by the Agency of Rating Marketing Information, as of 1 July 2012, the assets of Nairi Insurance totaled 4.6 bln AMD, equity capital - 1.6 bln AMD, insurance premiums - 2.7 bln AMD, insurance indemnities - 834 mln AMD. The share of health insurance in Nairi Insurance's portfolio of insurance premiums is more than 12%.
To recall, Nairi Insurance has been operating in the Armenian insurance market since 3 Dec 1996. The company is licensed to provide 12 classes of insurance.