Approval of amendments to the provision of the Agency for compulsory health insurance

The State Agency for Compulsory Health Insurance (CHI)will not only have a working device, but also regional administration.  This is possible according to the decision №301 of the Cabinet of Ministers, which approved the amendments to the decision "On the administrative department the classification" and the Regulation on its activities.

The bill "Compulsory Health Insurance" was developed in 2006 with the participation of experts of the World Bank Group (WBG) and submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan. Prior to this a document with the same name was adopted in 1991, and also  remained on the shelf.

The main task of the CHI is to shift the burden of medical expenses  from the patient to a specialized agency. The actual implementation of this type of insurance requires a conceptual approach to the solution of many issues: funding sources of the CHI system (it may be the state budget and compulsory contributions to the CHI Fund), the scope of the basic package (guaranteed minimum of free services), the approval of the treatment algorithms that determine the cost of medical services, the rationalization of logistical and human resources, and many other issues, without which the implementation of the CHI is not possible.

According to experts, in Azerbaijan, after the transition to the CHI, should operate an integrated scheme of compulsory and voluntary health insurance. Everyone should be able to expand the basic package, including additional terms in its coverage, as well as a choice of the number of private clinics. And it also requires voluntary medical insurance. Moreover, if the CHI covers some of the basic services, the cost of the policy LCA can be reduced in the equivalent. And this in turn can increase the number of people willing and able to afford voluntary health insurance. It is known that today the number of people insured by this kind does not exceed 1% of the population. So the possibilities  of health insurance are  not developed enough. --17D-