Türkiye is preparing to write off unpaid General Health Insurance (Genel Sağlık Sigortası, GSS) premium debts dating from 2017 for more than one million people, Turkish media reported on Friday.
According to Habertürk, the ruling AK Party is drafting the regulation on the grounds that a 10-year statute of limitations has passed on those debts. The news agency ANKA reported that the provision will be part of an omnibus ("torba") bill expected to reach parliament after the 2027 budget debate. Habertürk said the aim is for the change to become law before the new year.
Same approach as previous years
GSS is the state health insurance scheme run by the Social Security Institution (SGK). It was introduced in 2012 to cover people who are not insured through employment. Anyone without other social security coverage is automatically registered, and those who are judged able to pay must pay a monthly premium, which Habertürk put at 1,981 lira this year. For people found to be on low incomes after a household means test, the state pays the premium.
Many people who were automatically enrolled never paid, and arrears built up with interest. Debts from 2012 to 2016 have already been erased in earlier years for the same reason, as each year passed the 10-year limit. The new step would extend this to 2017. Habertürk said the regulation would also ease access to health services, noting that the period in which people with unpaid premiums can still use health services currently runs until 31 December.
Budget debate comes first
The parliamentary Plan and Budget Committee begins discussing the 2027 central government budget next week. The talks are expected to last about a month before the budget goes to the General Assembly for a final vote by the end of December, ANKA said. Other bills lined up for after the budget include a new judicial package on family law and a regulation on renewable energy.
Neither the total amount of debt nor detailed eligibility conditions had been announced by Friday afternoon.
What it means for foreign residents
Foreigners who live in Türkiye on a residence permit can also be covered by GSS. Those who have held a residence permit for more than a year and have no health coverage from their home country can register and pay monthly premiums to SGK, which gives access to state hospitals and contracted private clinics. Reports did not say whether foreign residents with old arrears would be affected in the same way, so anyone with an SGK premium debt should check their record on e-Devlet or at an SGK office.
Our guide to health insurance for foreign residents explains the difference between GSS and private policies, while the residence permit rules for property owners set out the insurance documents needed when applying. For newcomers, our moving to Türkiye checklist covers health cover alongside tax numbers, banking and address registration.
Sources
- GSS prim borçlarına düzenleme geliyor: 1 milyondan fazla kişinin prim borcu silinecek (Habertürk)
- GSS prim borçları silinecek, torba teklif yaklaşık 1 milyon kişiyi kapsayacak (Son Dakika / ANKA)
Photo: Tasha Kostyuk / Unsplash License, via Unsplash
