February 16, a roundtable discussion: Mandatory Health Insurance: Risks, Gaps, and Unresolved Issues

In Armenia, the introduction of mandatory health insurance is being presented as an important reform aimed at increasing access to healthcare services and reducing the financial burden on citizens.

However, any systemic change — especially in the healthcare sector — requires broad professional and public discussion, as a poorly designed or prematurely implemented model may create new risks for citizens, doctors, and medical institutions.

In this context, a roundtable discussion is being organized with the following objectives:

• to identify potential shortcomings and risks of introducing mandatory health insurance,
• to discuss the actual level of readiness of the system,
• to assess the impact on citizens’ rights, doctor–patient relations, and the sustainability of healthcare institutions,
• and to formulate proposals that could contribute to building a more fair, transparent, and functional model.

Key discussion areas include:

• financial and legal risks for citizens
• the issue of insurance interference in medical decision-making
• funding of healthcare institutions and quality of services
• potential corruption and governance risks
• gaps in the system’s technical and human-resource preparedness

Doctors, healthcare administrators, health law specialists, economists, representatives of the insurance sector, civil society, and the media are invited to participate.

Based on the outcomes of the discussion, a set of well-founded conclusions and recommendations will be developed, published, and presented to the public.

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