20.10.2025 09:01
The government has taken action to postpone the General Health Insurance debts of citizens who are unable to pay and to erase the debts incurred before 2015. With the regulation planned to be added to the omnibus proposal in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the GSS debts of 10 million people, exceeding 100 billion lira, will be postponed, and the debts of 1 million 491 thousand people amounting to 3.1 billion lira will be erased.
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The government has taken action to postpone the General Health Insurance (GSS) debts of citizens who are unable to pay. The legal regulation that is being prepared will be added to the omnibus proposal in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). With this legal regulation, the GSS debts of nearly 10 million citizens, exceeding 100 billion TL, will be postponed. The debts of 1 million 491 thousand citizens amounting to 3.1 billion TL from 2015 will be erased.
WHAT IS GSS? IS IT MANDATORY?
GSS is defined as "insurance that primarily ensures the protection of individuals' health and finances the expenses incurred in case they encounter health risks." GSS was made mandatory starting from 2012 to cover all citizens under health insurance.
WHOM DOES IT COVER?
Employees, individuals receiving income or pensions from SGK, employers, foreigners, foreign students, Turkish nationals, and stateless individuals, as well as soldiers and military school students, and those benefiting from unemployment and short-term work allowances, along with their dependents such as spouses, children, and parents, are included in the coverage. Citizens who do not fall into these categories and have no social security are also considered GSS insured.
WHAT CAUSES GSS DEBT?
Those who are not working and do not benefit from health services as dependents of others need to pay their own premiums externally. If they do not pay, an insurance debt is incurred every month. If an income test is not conducted, a debt of 780.15 TL is recorded to the premium account each month, leading to the accumulation of GSS premium debt.
WHEN DOES GSS START?
GSS starts from the day when there is no other health social security coverage. For example, if a citizen working in an insured job leaves their job and has no other social security or does not benefit from health services as a dependent of someone else, GSS is automatically initiated.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR INCOME TESTING? WHERE IS IT VALID?
The income test is a process that determines whether citizens without any social security can afford to pay premiums based on their income. The premiums of those with low income who undergo the income test are covered by the state.
Since GSS is only valid in universities and state hospitals, it cannot be utilized in private hospitals and institutions.
HOW TO APPLY AND MAKE PAYMENTS?
Those who are unable to pay premiums due to low income need to apply to the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation in their place of residence for the income test. Citizens who apply for the income test can learn the results through e-Government or via notifications sent by SGK. Citizens with GSS premium debts can make their premium payments at branches of banks contracted with SGK, ATMs, through internet banking, or via the e-Government online collection system by following the steps: PAYMENTS > SGK PAYMENTS > GSS PREMIUM > T.C. ID NUMBER.
HOW MUCH IS THE MONTHLY GSS PREMIUM FEE?
According to the income test results, the premiums of citizens whose monthly income per person in the family is less than one-third of the gross minimum wage (8,668 TL) are paid by the state.
Those with income above this amount can benefit from health services by paying 3% of the gross minimum wage (780.17 TL for the year 2025) as a premium.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE 3.1 BILLION TL DEBT?
What will happen to these debts? Should a law be passed?
Nearly 10 million citizens have GSS premium debts exceeding 100 billion TL. Various legal regulations have been enacted since 2015, allowing GSS premium debts to be restructured by SGK without requiring application conditions.
HOW MUCH DEBT WILL BE WAIVED THIS YEAR?
If the legal regulation that the government started working on in 2025 becomes law in the TBMM, a total of 3,128,333,178 TL debt, including 554,195,580 TL principal and 2,574,137,597 TL late fees and penalties, will be waived for 1,491,012 mandatory GSS holders from 2015.
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