Universal health insurance: employees earning up to 200,000 drams covered from January
- Published
- Place
- Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Armenia’s government on 29 October approved bills extending universal health insurance, launched on 1 January 2026. From 1 January 2027, employees whose monthly salary does not exceed 200,000 drams will be covered. The premium of 10,800 drams a month will be split between the state (4,400 drams), the employer (4,400 drams) and the employee (2,000 drams). According to Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan, about 350,000 people are concerned. Employees will also be able to insure relatives voluntarily by paying their premium: one family member for those earning between 200,000 and 500,000 drams, two above that. Taxi drivers working through digital platforms may be included, subject to registration-history and turnover conditions. The bills still have to go before parliament.
Analysis
For employers, the reform creates a fixed cost of 4,400 drams per month for each employee concerned. Nikol Pashinyan defended the scheme by citing its first nine months: 97,582 people received care worth at least 500,000 drams, including 26,914 pensioners aged 65 and over who exceeded one million drams. The most direct change therefore affects low earners and their employers.
Possible consequences
Companies employing many low-paid workers will see their costs rise from January if parliament adopts the bills. For employees, the 2,000-dram contribution matches, according to the government, a levy they were already paying until the end of 2025. Opening the scheme to relatives could broaden family coverage.
What remains uncertain
Official statements differ on the 200,000–500,000 dram bracket in 2027: whether the 6,000-dram subsidy is kept or channelled through the “social credit” mechanism. The parliamentary vote and implementing rules are still to come. The figure of 350,000 beneficiaries is a government estimate.
