Health NGO warns mandatory insurance risks becoming 'hidden tax' in Armenia

An Armenian health rights activist has criticized the government’s mandatory health insurance system, warning it risks burdening citizens with what she described as a hidden tax and could foster corruption.

Speaking to Panorama.am on Tuesday, Anush Poghosyan, President of the Right to Health NGO, stated that the reform is “already moving in the wrong direction” and could lead to public disillusionment.

“This is essentially a special type of tax imposed on the population, even if it is not officially called a tax,” Poghosyan said, arguing that the system forces poorer citizens to subsidize wealthier ones, creating a closed mechanism controlled entirely by the Ministry of Health.

She warned that the establishment of a large state-managed fund with poor oversight could form “a closed circle of corruption”, leaving citizens uncertain about how their contributions are used. “The people will not know why they pay or where the money goes,” Poghosyan added.