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.
