Türkiye: Foreigners' Health Insurance Reform 2025

Türkiye is implementing a significant reform to its health insurance system for foreign residents, effective April 1, 2025. 

The new regulations aim to provide broader and more reliable healthcare coverage for expatriates by mandating state-supervised insurance standards and extending access to selected public hospitals. However, this enhanced coverage will come at a significantly higher cost, as ineffective and low-cost policies designed primarily for residence permit applications will be phased out. The reform introduces minimum annual coverage limits, upfront payment requirements, and a shift in commission structures. While initially, public hospital coverage will primarily focus on emergency treatments, further details regarding scheduled appointments and elective procedures are expected. Foreign residents have a limited window before April 1, 2025, to secure existing insurance policies that could offer coverage at lower rates for a longer period.

Overhaul of Existing Inadequate Insurance Schemes:

• For years, foreign residents in Türkiye have been able to purchase very cheap insurance policies that offered minimal to no real medical coverage.
• These policies primarily served as a "bureaucratic checkbox" for residence permit applications rather than providing genuine healthcare access.
• The new reform explicitly aims to phase out these "dubious insurance schemes" and ensure that all insurance offerings meet a state-supervised standard.

Expanded Access to Public Hospitals:

• A crucial benefit of the reform is the extension of basic health insurance coverage to selected state hospitals across Türkiye.
• This is particularly significant in smaller cities where private medical facilities may be inadequate.
• Initially, coverage in state hospitals will be limited to "emergency treatments."
• Further regulatory updates are expected to clarify coverage for "scheduled appointments and elective procedures" in public hospitals.

Significant Increase in Insurance Costs:

• The reform will lead to a substantial rise in the cost of health insurance for foreigners.

This increase is attributed to two main factors:

• Insurance companies will no longer pay "excessive commissions to agencies" but will instead remit profit shares directly to the government.
• Annual minimum coverage limits will be adjusted upwards.
• Insurers will also require "upfront payments before issuing policies."

Enhanced Functionality and Genuine Healthcare Access:

• Despite the higher costs, the reformed insurance system is intended to be "significantly more functional," offering legitimate access to healthcare services.
• The aim is to move away from policies that are merely a "formality for visa applications" towards genuine health coverage.

Opportunity to Lock in Lower Rates:

• Foreign residents have a limited-time opportunity to purchase insurance policies before April 1, 2025, with a validity date extending up to March 31, 2027.
• This allows individuals to comply with residence permit requirements while potentially avoiding the anticipated price surge for a longer period.

iPMI Global analyst Christopher Knight concludes, “The upcoming health insurance reforms in Türkiye represent a significant step towards providing more robust healthcare coverage for foreign residents. While the increased costs are a notable factor, the expanded access to public hospitals and the elimination of largely ineffective insurance policies are likely to be welcomed by the expat community in the long run. Foreign residents should be aware of the impending changes and consider their options before the April 1, 2025, implementation date, particularly the opportunity to secure potentially more affordable coverage in the short term. Further clarification from regulatory updates regarding the scope of coverage in public hospitals for non-emergency treatments will be crucial for foreign residents to fully understand the implications of these reforms.”