Armenian MP warns against single-payer health insurance system

MP Kristine Vardanyan of the opposition Hayastan faction has criticized the government’s proposed universal health insurance plan, warning it risks replicating the failures of the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF).

Speaking at a parliament debate on Tuesday, Vardanyan argued the bill was introduced in line with “pre-election logic”, noting that authorities had spent five years discussing health insurance and only recently submitted the draft for a first reading. She claimed that the government had studied the market, observed significant profits in private insurance companies and now aims to create a “mega-state insurer”.

“By relying solely on your management skills, you are creating a state-based single-payer system. This will lead to the same outcome as ANIF – an opaque, centrally controlled institution with unclear regulation of this critical sector,” Vardanyan said.

She warned that private insurers could be pushed out of the health market, potentially driving up costs for other services. Vardanyan called for a hybrid model, in which the state covers basic services while private companies offer supplementary packages.

“Just a few months from now, we will see that these appealing promises will collide with reality and crumble,” she said.