Discussions on concept of comprehensive health insurance held in  Armenia with participation of WB representatives

ArmInfo. The delegation of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, headed by Minister Vahan Kerobyan and his Deputy Rafael Gevorgyan, took part in discussions on the  concept of comprehensive health insurance. This is stated in the  official message of the Ministry of Economy, published on Facebook.  

<It is important for us to participate in these discussions and have  our own contribution. It is impossible to overestimate the  investments made in human capital. There are serious problems that  need to be addressed.  And today our state budget has these  possibilities. It is also important for us to hear the opinions and  comments of experts, and we will be happy to start the implementation  process>, Kerobyan said.  

According to the source, the discussions were held with the  participation of the mission of the World Bank (WB), interested  government agencies, international experts and representatives of the  Parliamentary Commission on Health.  

Earlier, in October 2022, at a meeting chaired by Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan announced  that the system of comprehensive health insurance in Armenia would be  introduced in stages. In particular, it is proposed to introduce a  system until 2027, to include all medical services, except for  dentistry and plastic surgery, to provide for components of voluntary  and mandatory participation. It is planned to form an insurance  infrastructure that will provide medical services with the same  quality and accessibility for all groups of beneficiaries, regardless  of social status.  Back in 2019, the Armenian Ministry of Health  proposed to "cut off" another 4-6% from the wages of workers for  health insurance from 2022. According to the draft Concept for the  introduction of comprehensive health insurance in Armenia, the  comprehensive health insurance will cover the entire population  within the established basic package of services, which will be  differentiated depending on age and gender. According to the project,  the cost of annual insurance coverage per beneficiary is 77,274  drams.  Compensation for insurance coverage will come from two main  sources:  general state budget revenues and health tax. Regardless of  belonging to any population group, citizens who are employed and  self-employed at the time of implementation will pay a health tax.   The Special Fund for Comprehensive Health Insurance will be appointed  as a "caretaker" to revise all the principles of the process for  providing state- guaranteed medical care to the population, as well  as to carry out procurement functions (including payment of  compensation, revision of the tariff for services, selection of a  service provider). The Council will be headed by the RA Minister of  Health.