From January 1, 2026, Armenia is rolling out universal health insurance (UHI) in stages. Here it is without the bureaucratic language: who is already in the system, what is free, what you still pay for — and where to go with your insurance.
≈1.8 million people already insured
2,800+ services in the package
500+ clinics and 1,500+ pharmacies in the fund's network
Figures from the Universal Health Insurance Fund (uhif.am) and the Government of Armenia, September 2026.
Who is already insured
The system covers residents in waves, year by year. Find your group:
From 2026
Already in the system
Children under 18; persons left without parental care (including orphans) — up to age 23 (up to 26 if in full-time education)
People aged 65 and over
People with disabilities (those who have not undergone the new functionality assessment are covered until January 1, 2028 for now)
One of the parents, adopter, guardian, or trustee of a disabled child — upon application to the fund
Low-income families: benefit recipients and families with income below 130% of the threshold for the family benefit
Families of fallen and missing servicemen
Veterans of the Great Patriotic War and persons equated to them, repressed persons
Former servicemen receiving military disability pensions
Participants in the liquidation of the Chernobyl NPP accident
Employees earning 200,001 drams or more a month from at least one employer; sole proprietors and notaries whose 2025 income exceeded 2.4 million drams — once they have paid the annual premium
For all these groups except working people, the state pays the premium in full. For employees earning 200,001–500,000 drams, the budget adds 6,000 drams a month in 2026 (except for Social Package beneficiaries). Above that salary the budget adds nothing, and sole proprietors and notaries pay the full annual premium themselves.
From 2027
Joining next
Employees earning up to 200,000 drams
People working under civil-law contracts
Taxi drivers: those connected to the tax authority's electronic system who issue an electronic cash-register receipt for every order, or who carry passengers through a ride-hailing platform
Sole proprietors and notaries with an income of up to 2.4 million drams a year
People receiving rent, interest, dividends and royalties — if the total comes to 2.4 million drams or more a year
Voluntarily: non-working parents, spouse and children of an insured employee, sole proprietor or notary — the full premium for them is paid by that person or their employer
How much employees earning up to 200,000 drams will pay from 2027 has not been decided yet. The Ministry of Health put a draft law up for public discussion (September 14–29, 2026): 2,000 drams a month from the salary, and 4,400 each from the employer and the budget. The draft has not been adopted.
From 2028
Final stage
People working in agriculture (already from 2027 in settlements with "affected" status); their family members — voluntarily, at the full premium
Mothers (or adoptive parents) caring for a child under two
One of the parents in a family raising three or more minor children — upon application to the fund
The state pays the premium for mothers of children under two and for parents of large families; farmers pay themselves. The government's goal is to cover all segments of the population by January 1, 2029; the fund expects around 95% of the population to be insured. The law has no separate group for "everyone else": for those who fall into none of the groups, the state pays for a minimum volume of medical care, including ambulance care for citizens of Armenia.
Enrollment depends on citizenship, residency and type of income. The subsidized groups the state pays for are for citizens of Armenia who have been in the country for at least 183 days in the last 12 months (for children under one, citizenship is enough). Foreigners with a residence permit are insured if they work as employees, sole proprietors or notaries. Since May 8, 2026, this rule also extends to asylum seekers and to refugees granted asylum in Armenia who belong to the same groups. Non-standard situation — work abroad, several income sources? Check your case with the fund via the short number 8866.
How to know you are in the system
Checking takes a couple of minutes — via ArMed, the state eHealth platform.
1Install the ArMed eHealth app or open armed.am
2On your first sign-in, register: you will need your social card number, date of birth and phone number (if you have visited a clinic or hospital before, use the number you gave there); you can also sign in with your ID card. Your data will be pulled from the state register — then you only need to confirm your consent (activate your certificate)
3Open the insurance section: your status, service package and medications are there
4Can't sign in? The ArMed Customer Service Center works 24/7: +374 11 20 20 33. For insurance questions, contact the fund at 8866 or support@uhif.am, or the family doctor at your polyclinic — they can see your status and will help you activate your certificate
Many people are enrolled automatically, based on data from state databases. All that remains is to activate your certificate in the ArMed app or with the help of your polyclinic. You have an electronic certificate even without a smartphone: it is kept in the insurance register.
What is covered — and what is not
Included in the package
Visits to a family doctor, therapist (general practitioner) or pediatrician — your entry point into the system
Consultations with specialists — with a referral: for a disease diagnosed for the first time, up to two consultations with each specialist per year; for chronic diseases, up to four visits per year (more for certain diseases)
Lab tests and diagnostics — with a doctor's referral
Ambulance and emergency care
Inpatient treatment, including surgery
Medications from the fund's list (1,300+ items) — at partner pharmacies
Prevention: mammography (women aged 45–68) and HPV test (aged 30–60) — no referral needed, at organizations on the fund's list; preventive visit for adults aged 18–75 once every two years — with your family doctor
Pregnancy care
Mental health care
The package includes over 2,800 services in total. The exact list for your status is in ArMed and on the fund's website uhif.am (available in Armenian and English).
Not included — you pay yourself
Adult dentistry: the insurance covers only urgent dental care — examination and tooth extraction; treatment, implants and orthodontics are at your own expense. Exceptions: children under 18 get their teeth treated and extracted under the insurance, check-ups at ages 6 and 12 and, for bite problems, an orthodontist consultation; people 65+ are entitled to dental prosthetics (except implants, fixed ceramic, metal-ceramic and zirconia prosthetics, and partial clasp dentures); pregnant women get a preventive dental check-up. Find a dentist
Doctor home visits — except when the patient physically cannot come to the polyclinic. Emergencies are different: call 103. For insured people the ambulance (up to 8 calls a year) is paid for by the insurance, and for uninsured citizens of Armenia — by the state. Emergency care: who to call
Cosmetology and plastic surgery for aesthetic purposes. Reconstructive surgery is included in the package — to restore organ function or after an accident that happened after your insurance began
Co-payments: for some consultations and services the clinic charges a fixed co-payment — no more than double the fund's tariff; the amount is listed on uhif.am. According to the fund, if a doctor works with a co-payment, the clinic must also offer a doctor without one. For a medicine that is only partly covered, the patient pays the difference. Laboratories in Yerevan
The list is not exhaustive: anything outside the approved package is paid separately. Before a paid procedure, ask the clinic whether the service is covered and check the list in ArMed.
Where to go with your insurance
Your first stop is your polyclinic: the family doctor or therapist (general practitioner) you are registered with. They treat you themselves or give referrals — to specialists, for tests, to hospital. The insurance does not pay for planned care without a referral. No referral is needed in emergencies, for screenings (mammography, HPV test), to see a dentist, during pregnancy, and for a chronic condition if your family doctor has already made the diagnosis.
1Book a visit with your therapist (GP) — by calling the polyclinic or via ArMed (online booking works if the polyclinic has entered its office hours there)
2Come to the appointment: the doctor examines you and decides what is next
3Get referrals — for tests, to specialists, prescriptions for medications
4Take the referral to any organization participating in the system
5Collect prescribed medications at partner pharmacies
More than 500 clinics and hospitals — both public and private — and more than 1,500 pharmacies work with the fund (according to the fund's list as of September 29, 2026). In the Medaro catalog such clinics carry the "Accepts state insurance" badge.
The annual premium is the same for everyone — 129,600 drams (10,800 a month), and only a law can change it. Many people don't have to pay themselves: for children, people 65+, people with disabilities, families of fallen servicemen and other subsidized groups, the state pays the premium in full. For employees, the employer withholds the premium, and for salaries of 200,001–500,000 drams the budget adds 6,000 drams a month in 2026 — see the next question for details.
I am employed. How much do I pay and what do I need to do?
If your salary from at least one employer is 200,001 drams a month or more, you have been in the system since 2026. Your employer withholds the premium: 4,800 drams a month for salaries up to 500,000 and the full 10,800 above that. At the same time the stamp duty paid to the Zinapah Foundation was cut, so total deductions rose by less: by 300 drams for salaries of 200,001–500,000 (the budget adds another 6,000) and by 3,300 drams for 500,001–1,000,000. For salaries above 1 million the stamp duty was not cut, so the full 10,800 comes out of your salary. Social Package beneficiaries earning up to 500,000 pay another 6,000 drams themselves — the budget does not add it for them. Any premium withheld in excess is refunded on an electronic application at uhif.am — for example, if you have a disability but your employer still made the deduction. These amounts are set for 2026; what happens in 2027 is still being discussed. Other employees do not need to do anything — just check your status in ArMed. Salaries up to 200,000 drams join from 2027.
I am 63–64 years old. Am I insured?
Not by age yet: the state insures people from 65, while the retirement age is 63. On June 25, 2026, the Prime Minister said that 63-year-old pensioners would be included as a priority in the next phase, but as of late September 2026 there is no amendment to the law and no date has been set. You are already insured if you earn 200,001 drams or more from at least one employer, have a disability, or your family receives the low-income family benefit. From 2027 — also with any official salary or civil-law contract, and a working son, daughter or spouse will be able to pay for your insurance voluntarily. Check your status in ArMed or at 8866.
I have private insurance. Does it replace the state one?
No. UHI is mandatory: having private insurance does not exempt you from paying the premium. Private plans work on top — speed and comfort, dentistry, services outside the state package. The fund has partner insurance companies offering additional packages — see the list on uhif.am.
Do I need a referral to see a specialist?
As a rule, yes — your family doctor or therapist (general practitioner) issues it. No referral is needed in emergencies, for screenings, to see a dentist, during pregnancy, and for a chronic condition if your family doctor has already made the diagnosis. The insurance covers up to two consultations with each specialist a year for a new disease and up to four visits for a chronic one. Some doctors charge a fixed co-payment; according to the fund, the clinic must also offer a doctor without a co-payment.
Do I need to go for a preventive visit?
Yes, and it matters for the future. Under the law, in 2029 only those who received a preventive service in 2026–2028 (for example, a preventive visit with their family doctor), or booked one, will be able to use the insurance package. Emergency and urgent care is provided in any case. Book a preventive visit with your family doctor — it is covered by the insurance.
A clinic refused to provide a free service. What should I do?
First check in ArMed or on uhif.am whether the service is in your package, whether the clinic has a contract with the fund and whether you have used up your consultation limit (2 a year with one specialist for a new disease, 4 for a chronic one). If everything checks out and you were still refused, report it to the fund: 8866 or support@uhif.am — the fund handles such complaints.
The information on this page is for reference and does not replace advice from the fund or a lawyer. The system is new and still being fine-tuned: rules, premiums and service lists may change. For the exact terms in your situation, contact the Universal Health Insurance Fund — short number 8866, website uhif.am — and the ArMed app.
Facts checked against the text of the law and government decisions (arlis.am), the fund's website (uhif.am), clarifications by the RA Ministry of Health, the draft law on e-draft.am, and reports by Armenpress, Hetq and other Armenian media. Page updated September 29, 2026
