Armenia won’t avoid compulsory medical insurance

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia will face the necessity to introduce compulsory medical insurance sooner or later, as was the case with the introduction of car owners’ liability insurance policy, according to Hayk Hovhannisyan, expert at Ingo Armenia insurance company.

As he told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, if the company used to serve mainly corporate clients, presently natural persons willingly apply for medical insurance too. “During the reporting period, the number of clients of the company grew 10% against the same period in 2010,” he added.

Hovhannisyan informed that insurance companies including Ingo Armenia submitted a relevant package to RA Ministry of Healthcare, and presently “all things work for that.”

It is not ruled out that in 2013 a law “On Compulsory Medical Insurance” will be brought into effect.

“I think the medical insurance market has already developed in Armenia and insurance companies are ready to introduce this service. Clients only benefit from that, as it will improve the quality of medical services, as the insurance company itself is concerned about high quality service of its clients in medical institutions. Job opportunities will also be created,” the expert said.

It’s noteworthy that according to Mamuka Katsarava, head of the municipal department of social services and culture of Tbilisi, a new policy is being introduced, under which each employer will be obliged to provide their employees with medical insurance.

Katsarava said on August 30 that insurance will be compulsory for everybody.