Sahil Babayev: At least 95% of population to be fully covered by mandatory health insurance

At least 95% of Azerbaijan's population will be covered by mandatory health insurance (MHI), Finance Minister Sahil Babayev said, as quoted by Report.

Speaking at today's plenary session of the Milli Majlis during the second reading of the draft State Budget for 2026, Babayev addressed misunderstandings surrounding recent changes to the MHI system, some of which he said had been misrepresented to the public.

He reminded lawmakers that under current legislation, insurance contributions for most citizens are paid by the state, with the exception of employees and some individual entrepreneurs. The new amendments significantly expand the list of people whose contributions are fully covered by the government, increasing the number nearly ninefold.

"Now the state will cover health insurance for children, pensioners, people with disabilities, the incapacitated, and the unemployed. For the first time, the law explicitly states that the unemployed also receive insurance at the state's expense. So why is there the impression that the unemployed are being excluded? That is not true," Babayev said.

According to the minister, AZN 900 million has been allocated in the 2026 budget for this purpose. These funds will cover contributions for approximately 7.3–7.5 million citizens. Another 2 million people with employment contracts will have their insurance jointly covered by employers and employees, while individual entrepreneurs pay their contributions themselves. This means that at least 95% of the country"s population will be fully included in the MHI system.

Babayev noted that those outside the system are likely to be informal workers who conceal their income. "This applies only to those operating illegally and not declaring income. They will need to pay for insurance themselves. Special electronic criteria will be introduced to determine a citizen's status based on personal data. If someone does not fall into any of the benefit categories, their income source will be verified. But even such citizens will not be left without medical services - they will only need to pay the insurance contribution once to receive the full package of services," the minister explained.