ArmInfo.Armenia is studying the Lithuanian experience in the process of introducing a health insurance system. This is stated in the official statement of the Ministry of Health.
According to the source, Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan is in Lithuania on a three-day working visit to study the achievements of the Lithuanian side in the field of health insurance, mechanisms for introducing and launching the health insurance system.
During the visit, the minister reportedly met with her Lithuanian counterpart Arunas Dulkis. The parties discussed the implemented work on the introduction of the insurance system. The Minister of Health of Lithuania spoke about the mechanisms for raising funds for the insurance fund, which are provided by the employer and employee (the share of citizens is within 6.9%). The interlocutors also touched upon the issue related to the cost of medicines within the medical insurance system, which is 100% compensated by the insurance fund, which reduces the additional costs of the population for the purchase of medicines. In August 2021, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that a system of compulsory medical insurance would be introduced in Armenia. Back in 2019, the Armenian Ministry of Health proposed introducing a tax of 4-6% on wages for health insurance from 2022. According to the rationale for the document, the development of the concept is due to the need to ensure the availability of high-quality and timely medical services for all citizens of the republic, regardless of gender, age, place of residence and social status. Meanwhile, this project of the Ministry of Health has become a topic of heated discussions, and has been criticized not only by experts, but also by ordinary citizens, pointing out that the percentage of the "health tax" is too high.
