Mandatory Health Insurance in Armenia. What does this mean, and who are the beneficiaries?
The National Assembly has adopted, in the first reading, the draft law on “Mandatory Health Insurance”.
When?
The law went into force on the 1st of January 2026 and which entered into force on January 1, 2026, with a phased implementation, meaning that not all citizens will be included in the system at the same time.
The insurance package includes:
- Free medical examinations (blood tests, X-rays, ultrasound, etc.),
- Inpatient treatment (therapeutic and surgical),
- Cardiac surgeries (stenting, bypass surgery),
- Cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy),
- Medications (for chronic diseases),
- Emergency medical services.
To be eligible to use the insurance package, it is mandatory to undergo a preventive medical check-up once a year. If this isn’t done, the insurance will not be provided (except for emergency situations).
Who is this for?
Starting from January 1 the system operates for vulnerable groups (insured by the state)
Vulnerable groups include:
- Children under 18 years of age
- People aged 65 and over,
- People with disabilities,
- Members of socially vulnerable families (included in the “Paros” system),
- Participants in the cleanups of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident,
- Veterans of the Second World War and victims of repression,
- One of the parents who acts as a caregiver for a person with a disability.
For employees receiving a salary of more than 200.000 amd. The law applies to both citizens of the Republic of Armenia and foreign citizens who work in the Republic of Armenia and have an Armenian residence permit. Unfortunately, so far we have not been able to determine whether this applies to persons with a residence permit and employees who do not reside in the country.
If, starting from November 2025, an employee’s salary (taxes included) exceeded 200.000 AMD in at least one month, they automatically begin participating in the compulsory health insurance system until the end of the year.
IE’s with an annual turnaround of 2.400.001 AMD and more. If your income was 2.400.001 AMD in total, it means that you automatically become a CHI beneficiary.
Payable amount
For vulnerable groups – 0 AMD (is paid by the state)
For IE’s – annually 129.600 AMD
For employed citizens- an annual amount of 120.000–164.400 AMD is set, depending on the salary, with part of it potentially paid by the state. Thus, for those earning up to 500.000 AMD , the contribution will be subsidized by the state.
If the current salary is low, but you’ve already started using CHI (for example if you’ve received a holiday bonus), that means that your payments will look like this:
How to get a compensation from the government?
This will happen automatically, and you do not need to take any action in this regard.
The only exception is for those receiving a social package: they must submit an application once so that the amount from their social package is directed to the Insurance Fund instead of being transferred to their account.
Who pays and when?
The amount is deducted from the salary or paid independently, depending on the type of employment.
The first payment:
For employees (with the payment made by the employer): starting from January 20, 2026, and thereafter on a monthly basis.
For Individual Entrepreneurs (who make the payment themselves): a one-time payment on April 20, 2026.
The employee and the employer independently agree on whether the gross (calculated) salary – the salary before tax deductions will be increased by the amount of the compulsory health insurance contribution or not.
If you become a beneficiary of compulsory health insurance both as an employee and as an individual entrepreneur, the total amount of insurance contributions may not exceed 10.800 AMD per month. At the same time, the employer calculates and withholds the insurance contribution separately, based on the amount they pay you. You may submit an application indicating your bank account. Any excess insurance contributions withheld will be refunded to your bank account within three business days.
Where and how medical care can be obtained?
If the event of a medical case covered by insurance, you will need to contact your family doctor (general practitioner) at your place of registration. Based on your complaints, they will refer you to a specialist. You may then choose the specialist independently, but only from the list of participating clinics.
You’ll have to sign up to “Armed”. You can also book an appointment with a doctor there.
What if I already have a voluntary health insurance policy from a private company?
This does not exempt you from paying for CHI. You can hold two policies at the samje time: the state-mandated compulsory policy and a private voluntary policy.
What if I quit?
Unfortunately, you will have to pay the contributions yourself until the end of the year in any case.
What if I don’t pay?
There are currently no penalties, but you will not be able to access medical care under the CHI system.