Significant changes were adopted for Universal Health Insurance (UHI) in Benin following the Council of Ministers meeting held on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, under the chairmanship of Patrice Talon. These changes aim to update the mandatory health insurance system for more inclusive and tailored coverage.

Expanding coverage to the most vulnerable

The main change concerns the expansion of the list of beneficiaries whose care is fully covered by the State. In anticipation of the generalization of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – mandated by the February 2021 law for all residents of Benin – the government has added three new, particularly vulnerable populations:

1. Minors placed in child protection centers following a public referral.
2. People in situations of begging.
3. The mentally ill.

In addition, the basic care package, a central element of the system, has been revised to include more common conditions, thus ensuring better health coverage.

ARCH, a pillar of access to healthcare for the underprivileged

These adjustments are part of the ongoing rollout of the Health Insurance for Strengthening Human Capital (ARCH). Effective since January 1, 2022, and now covering the entire population, ARCH aims to guarantee access to healthcare for the most disadvantaged groups. Approximately three million Beninese considered "extremely poor" have their healthcare costs fully covered by the State.

The services covered by AMU are substantial, including general practitioner consultations, childbirth, hospitalizations, and laboratory tests. In addition to those covered by the state, the system also protects public sector workers, low-income pensioners, and scholarship students. Private employers are required to take out insurance policies for their employees with the National Social Security Fund.

The funding challenge

While national solidarity helps to cover the needs of the most vulnerable, the question of long-term financing for the effective generalization of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) remains crucial. Benin, whose economy relies less on vast mineral wealth, is counting on rigorous budget management and the optimization of its tax revenues to sustain these major social commitments.

The Council of Ministers also adopted several other technical measures (transmission of the draft law on the settlement of the 2024 budget, amendment of the statutes of the National Water Company, regulation of the profession of tourist guide, etc.), which accompany the momentum of the ongoing social reforms.