Turkey to erase 2017 health insurance debts affecting over 1 million people

Turkish lawmakers have begun work on a draft law to erase unpaid General Health Insurance premium debts that are more than 10 years old. The AK Party-backed proposal targets debt records from 2017 and aims to clear them before 2027 begins. More than 1 million people are expected to benefit from the debt cancellation.

The measure follows similar past arrangements that removed unpaid premium debts for 2012 through 2016 under the 10-year statute of limitations. The General Health Insurance system has been in force since 2012 and covers citizens without any other social security who cannot obtain health services through another person.

“The monthly General Health Insurance premium for 2026 is applied at 1,981 Turkish lira.”

Authorities say the change will reduce citizens' debt burden to the state and remove obstacles to accessing health services caused by unpaid premiums. People who cannot pay their premiums currently have temporary access to state and university hospitals, but that temporary arrangement expires on December 31, 2026.

The draft law also includes income-test rules. Citizens whose per-person household income falls below one-third of the minimum wage have their premiums paid by the state, while those who do not take the income test or fail to meet the requirement must pay premiums themselves. For 2026, the monthly General Health Insurance premium is set at 1,981 Turkish lira.

Officials aim to have the bill approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly General Assembly before the start of the year and published in the Official Gazette so it enters into force. Technical details about whether eligible citizens must apply individually or whether deletion will happen automatically are expected to be clarified during parliamentary debates.