ArmInfo.As of January 30, the number of requests for medical care under the mandatory health insurance system exceeded 255,000. This was announced by RA Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan during working discussions in the National Assembly.
According to her, the system itself was launched on January 1, 2026, and between January 1 and 3, citizens received the necessary medical care. Currently, the number of applicants has already exceeded 250,000. Avanesyan emphasized that this number includes a range of visits, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, emergency rooms, and day hospital visits. The same person can receive the necessary medical services over several visits. This includes not only medical services but also consultations, medications received through electronic prescriptions, and more. Thus, as the minister emphasized, the figure of 255,000 does not mean that this is the number of citizens who used the compulsory health insurance system.
As for direct medical care, for example, 50,073 pensioners aged 65 and over used the new system. 4.3 billion drams were allocated for their services.
The minister noted that already in the first month of implementing the compulsory health insurance system, shortcomings and deficiencies are being identified and addressed through almost daily monitoring. The main goal of this stage is to simplify the system as much as possible. Such monitoring will be conducted on a monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual basis. After six months, the Ministry of Health will present new initiatives, including those based on citizen suggestions, aimed at improving the system's functioning.
As a reminder, the mandatory health insurance system is expected to be implemented over a three-year period. The first stage began on January 1, 2026. The system covers children under 18, individuals aged 65 and older (even if employed), individuals with disabilities aged 18 to 65, members of socially vulnerable families, and individuals earning over 200,000 drams. The base cost of an insurance policy in 2026 will be 129,600 drams (10,800 drams per month). Part of this amount is reimbursed from payments to the Zinapa Military Insurance Fund. These payments, increased in 2021, are now returning to their previous level of 1,000 drams, regardless of salary. The remaining portion will be reimbursed to beneficiaries upon filing their annual personal income tax return. However, in 2026, these amounts will be reimbursed monthly from the state budget. A state fund has been created to manage the system. It will operate under temporary management for three months, after which a state selection committee will form its board of directors, which, as stated in the Concept for the Implementation of Compulsory Medical Insurance, will be chaired by the Minister of Health.
According to data for the first half of 2025, the total number of pensioners was 500,300, of which approximately 384,800 receive a labor pension and 101,800 receive a disability pension. The remaining approximately 15,000 people receive other types of pensions (for the loss of a breadwinner, for length of service, and several others). The number of working pensioners in the first half of 2025 was approximately 112,000 (approximately 22% of the total). As of the beginning of 2026, the minimum pension is approximately 36,000 drams, and the average pension is approximately 49,000 drams. Meanwhile, by the third quarter of 2025, the cost of the minimum consumer basket per person was 81,681 drams, and the food basket was 44,152 drams.
