The Confederation Trade Unions of Armenia, positively assessing the draft law of the Republic of Armenia "On Comprehensive Health Insurance", simultaneously presents its recommendations and comments:
1. It is proposed to divide the percentage insurance payments established by paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 3 of Article 14 of the draft equally between the employee and the employer, since the employer's share is not provided for in the draft. Meanwhile, employees are exposed to various risks in the workplace that can affect their health.
In a number of European countries, including Germany, Austria, France, Belgium and Switzerland, employers also make mandatory contributions to the health insurance of employees.
Employers' participation in this system will help reduce the financial burden on employees and ensure social justice.
According to the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, in 2023, the poverty rate in the Republic of Armenia is 23.7%. Among the poor there are also working poor who, even having a job, are not able to provide for their minimum needs and the needs of their family members, since the minimum wage in the Republic of Armenia does not take into account the needs of the worker and his family. In the current socio-economic conditions, when prices for public transport, garbage collection and property taxes are rising, health insurance contributions will become an additional tax burden for workers, which will negatively affect their income, especially those workers who are already struggling with the rising cost of living with minimal income, which does not follow from the requirement of Article 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, namely: “The Republic of Armenia is a sovereign, democratic, social and legal state.”
The most important component of a social and legal state should be the provision of legislative guarantees for social protection and well-being of people.
2. According to paragraph 4 of part 2 of article 13 of the draft, “Calculation of expenses for comprehensive health insurance is carried out on the basis of the projected change in the consumer price index”, while in the Republic of Armenia the requirement of Article 182 of the RA Labor Code adopted in 2004 is not applied: “Indexation of wages is carried out in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the RA”. The RA Law “On the Minimum Basket of Life Support and the Minimum Budget of Life Support”, adopted in 2004, is also not applied.
It turns out that inflation will be taken into account when calculating expenses for comprehensive health insurance, and in the case of inflation, wage indexation is not carried out in the Republic of Armenia. Consequently, when revising the amount of insurance premiums in the case of inflation, it is necessary to index wages simultaneously.