Gov’t Pays Health Insurance Arrears

The government has settled a significant portion of its debts to the health insurance sector, announced the government spokesman. “Health Insurance covered 11 million people throughout the country but we had put aside funds for 5.5 million and that was the source of our debt to the healthcare sector,” Mohammad Baqer Nobakht was quoted as saying by IBENA. The spokesman referred to a relative increase in the value of services rendered by the healthcare sector and a rise in medical tariffs as other reasons behind the government’s debts to insurers.  “We owed 80 trillion rials ($2 billion) to the health sector and we have so far been able to pay back 50 trillion rials ($1.3 billion),” Nobakht said, adding that the remainder of the debts will be repaid soon.