168: This is how the citizens were deceived

Before the elections, the authorities distributed widespread social assistance at the expense of the state, increased pensions and allowances, and provided free medical care to the needy and the poor within the framework of health insurance.

The elections are over, and for many, these happy times are also over.

Immediately after the elections, thousands of citizens were deprived of benefits.

Pensions were raised, benefits were cut. Previously, these people received several times more benefits than the 10,000 AMD increase in pensions. With the increase of pensions, they did something bad to these people. And they did it in such a way that they wouldn’t fall head over heels, they wouldn’t know ahead of time what was waiting for them.

Even though the pensions were increased from April 1, and already from May, those people were no longer considered beneficiaries, they did not meet the requirements to receive benefits, because they had increased their pension by 10,000 drams, they were allowed to remain on the list of beneficiaries until the elections are over. 1 month before the elections, they gave an allowance so that they could go and vote for them. At what expense did they give, how did they give when those people no longer met the criteria of being a beneficiary, that is another question.

Immediately after the elections, thousands of beneficiaries discovered that they were deprived of benefits. Those who are not deprived yet will be deprived very soon.

New criteria for receiving benefits have been established and assessment conditions have been set in such a way that after July 1, tens of thousands of beneficiaries will be excluded from the lists of beneficiaries. They will no longer be considered beneficiaries and will not receive benefits. Although the social condition of these people will continue to be bad as before.

It will get even worse, because it is not enough, they will be deprived of benefits, they will have to bear the effects of inflation like everyone else.

And the inflation in Armenia is not only high, but also became more active after the elections.

In June, compared to the previous year, the price of food products increased by 8-9 percent.

More price increases are expected in the near future, because they have a problem of filling the place of the money spent during the elections. Therefore, after the elections, they started changing the tax laws, adding a new burden, which will lead to new price increases. Like everyone else, the effect of these price increases will be borne not only by those deprived of benefits, but also by the pensioners who will receive 10,000 drams more. And there is still a question as to how much the increase in pensions will cover the impact of inflation and price increases.

Despite the price increases, next year there will be no increase in pensions, nor indexation of pensions promised by the authorities.

Before the elections, pensioners and not only pensioners were fed with health insurance. People were satisfied and happy that they can get free medical care.

Elections ended, free medical care became partially paid.

During the election period, when there were rumors that there would be no more free medical care after the elections, the authorities argued that such a thing could not happen, they said that there would be health insurance even after the elections. After the elections, of course, health insurance continued to exist, but not in the previous volumes.

The scope of free medical care is getting narrower. Before the elections, medical institutions almost did not require co-payments from patients in order to create the impression that the treatment was completely free for the benefit of the authorities.

It is clear that they did not do it on their own initiative, they did it according to an order handed down from above.

After the elections ended, medical institutions gradually began to demand co-payments for the previously free services. Before the elections, the patients did not pay for using these services, after the elections they are forced to pay. The Ministry of Health excuses itself that nothing has changed in insurance, no new fees have been increased, but it specifically emphasizes that health institutions have the right to set co-payments by law. And now they are using that right.

They did not use it before the elections, after the elections they decided to use it.

Some services that used to be free have already become co-pays.

It is expected that the number of such services will expand in the near future, because the elections are already in the past, and they no longer need to entice people with insurance. Now they can allow the medical institutions to take full advantage of the opportunities provided for them, and collect co-payments from patients “within the framework of the law”.

When this process is completely finished and the co-payments start to work in full, then it will be seen what will be left of the free medical care.

Today, the government is forced to periodically allocate additional funds from the state budget to fill the financial gaps in the system. On the other hand, they create artificial restrictions for users. Patients complain that they cannot get timely medical care within the framework of insurance, that due to the queues, there is no opportunity to consult a doctor for days and weeks, that being insured, they have to use paid services.

Before the elections, the authorities did everything to make the health insurance institute serve their own political interests, after the elections, the first cracks in the system began to appear. From this chapter, they are already preparing so that as few people as possible apply to use the insurance. With that expectation, they decided to introduce some kind of bonus system. They will give a bonus for not going to the doctor.

HAKOB KOCHARYAN

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