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The number of beneficiaries covered by Armenia's Universal Health Insurance system increased significantly in the first half of 2026, reaching nearly 1.8 million.
The figures were presented by Samvel Kharazyan, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Universal Health Insurance Fund, as he summarized the fund's performance during the first six months of the year.
Kharazyan said the fund is required to carry out ongoing public awareness activities and publish quarterly reports on a regular basis as part of its continuing functions. He noted that the fund's quarterly performance reports are available on its website and are accessible to the public.
"Since the Universal Health Insurance system came into force on January 1, 2026, the total number of insured citizens has increased by approximately 14 percent. At the beginning of the year, we projected that the system would have around 1.6 million beneficiaries in 2026. However, according to data for June, the number of beneficiaries has reached nearly 1.8 million, with salaried employees and individual entrepreneurs accounting for the largest share. In other words, this increase has been driven primarily by the growth in the number of beneficiaries earning a monthly salary of 200,000 drams or more," Kharazyan said.
According to him, the increase has also been driven by the country's economic growth, the creation of new jobs and the growing importance of the healthcare system.
Kharazyan also said that 762,404 of the nearly 1.8 million beneficiaries have used one or more services provided under the system, while 35,961 beneficiaries have received medicines.
He said the figures also indicate that people who had previously been unable to receive medical care because of financial difficulties are now able to access services provided under the system.
"During these six months, beneficiaries have already received 102.4 billion drams worth of reimbursed medical services and medicines. According to the data, the largest share of the fund's expenditures has been directed toward expensive surgical procedures, as well as less costly but necessary operations. These procedures have also contributed to improving people's quality of life and extending life expectancy," Kharazyan said.
Armenia's Universal Health Insurance system came into force on January 1, 2026. During the first phase, the system covered people earning a monthly salary of 200,000 drams or more, persons with disabilities, pensioners aged 65 and over, and children under the age of 18.