By Nicholas Castillo
Armenia’s recently established public health insurance program has reached roughly 1.8 million beneficiaries, according to a report issued by the program this week. The figure represents a 14.3% increase in the number of those insured since the beginning of the year, when the program launched.
The report, which covers developments in the first half of the year, contains a number of statistics relating to the program's introduction and expansion.
In addition to the total number of current enrollees, the document reports that roughly 762,000 Armenians have received medical services under the program, with over 100 billion Armenian drams (roughly 274 million USD) issued in reimbursements. In the first half of 2026, 7.8 million medical cases were opened and 142,550 surgeries were performed under the structure of the new health insurance program.
The number of participating medical centers and clinics reached 424, while the number of pharmacies climbed to 1,417. The two regions with the fewest medical centers are Vayots Dzor and Syunik, with only 5 and 22 centers respectively. The regions with the highest number are Yerevan and Ararat, with 103 and 62 such centers or clinics.
During the six-month period covered in the report, 1,196,434 medication prescriptions were ordered as part of the insurance program for a total of 388,658 beneficiaries. The majority of these prescriptions, 61%, were issued to treat cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure or coronary artery disease.
The growth in the number of those enrolled in the insurance program over the first half of the year was driven largely by a growth in the number of beneficiaries earning more than 200,000 drams (close to $550) a month. At the program's initial rollout in January, only children, the elderly, people with disabilities, those receiving public benefits, and those making under 200,000 drams a month had been eligible.
Armenia’s parliament authorized the establishment of the public health insurance system in late 2025, with the law coming into effect in January of this year. The reform represents one of the largest expansions of Armenia’s social safety net since independence.
The creation of a public health insurance system has been in the works for years, facing delays amid the COVID-19 pandemic and conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. While officials had initially set a goal of universal coverage by 2027, the program now hopes to reach coverage of all Armenian citizens by 2029.
Historically, Armenia has lagged behind peer countries in terms of expenditures on medical services, accounting for 1.4% of GDP as opposed to an average of 5–6% in comparable countries. Proposals around public insurance had hoped to improve an often fragmented and underserviced sector, providing better access to citizens.
In order to enroll in the system, eligible Armenian citizens can download and register through the government’s ARMED app or visit a local government polyclinic to register in person.
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