Since 2012 Republic of Turkey is implementing a compulsory healthcare insurance for all the population nationwide, which is called the General Health Insurance. The General Health Insurance is the social insurance system that primarily protect the health of people living in Turkey and that finances the expenditures incurred in case they encounter with health risks. The General Health Insurance of Turkey primarily finances healthcare services which are given by public of private healthcare service providers.
With the General Health Insurance System, it has been ensured that all members of the society within Turkey and citizens benefit from healthcare services equally, accessibly and effectively against the risk of disease, regardless of their economic power and cultural affiliations.
Is the General Health Insurance compulsory?
Turkish citizens residing in Turkey are compulsorily included in the scope of general health insurance as of the date of 1st of January 2012. However, in general, regardless of the citizenship status all the people living in Turkey are eligible to be included within the scope of the system.
Who is covered by general health insurance?
Those who are legally insured by the social security regime or those who are optionally insured are within the scope of the General Healthcare Insurance of Turkey.
In addition, persons who receive income or pension according to the Social Security and General Health Insurance Code No. 5510 or the social security laws in force before this Law are within the scope compulsorily without need to pay additional premiums.
Turkish citizens who do not have general health insurance and who are not dependents of general health insured–regardless of their income, are within the scope as well. For citizens with an income below the determined treshold, the general health insurance premiums are being paid by the state on behalf of the individual.
Moreover, persons defined as stateless, upon their requrest people from foreign countries who have been residing in our country for an uninterrupted year, foreign national students studying in Turkey are within the scope of the General Health Insurance.
Children under the age of 18 are automatically included within the scope of the general health insurance.
People who benefit from unemployment benefit and short-time working allowance, trainee lawyers, persons for whom protective injunctions have been issued in the labour laws, those who do their military service as enlisted and non-commissioned officers, reserve officer students and candidates, cadet candidates and Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy student candidates are all within the scope of the General Health Insurance.
Apart from the above enlisted, all our citizens who do not have any social security and reside in Turkey can benefit from healthcare services from the General Health Insurance.
