Moving to Russia through the Shared Values Visa Program will solve one of the biggest financial risks American families face: healthcare debt.
The Shared Values Visa Program gives Americans a legal way to move to Russia. This program is built around shared traditional values — and for Russians, taking care of family, children, and health is the priority. This guide explains how the Russian system really works for Shared Values Visa holders — how to get state and private coverage, what healthcare actually costs, and why an average American family’s yearly healthcare bill in Russia is a tiny fraction of what you would pay in the US.
The Russian healthcare system runs on a universal-coverage model. Its backbone is Compulsory Health Insurance (in Russian OMS, Obyazatelnoe Meditsinskoe Strakhovanie). It is paid for through employer taxes and the federal budget. The US does not have an exact equivalent, but you can think of it as a mix of public programs like Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, VA, etc.
In short, basic healthcare is completely free!
There is also a private layer – Voluntary Health Insurance (DMS in Russian, Dobrovolnoe Meditsinskoe Strakhovanie). It works a lot like private US health plans.
Between arrival and the moment your Temporary Residence Permit is approved, public healthcare coverage has not kicked in yet. Do not worry — you still have three ways to get healthcare:
What most families do: For the first two or three months while waiting for residency, most families on this visa use a mix of private health insurance plus paying out of pocket. Once public coverage kicks in, they switch to the state program and add a mid-tier private plan on top.
In Russia, you can usually get a doctor’s appointment or a home visit within one or two days. Most diagnostic results come back in one to five days, and urgent cases can be processed in just a few hours. For comparison, similar care in the US often takes weeks. In specialized areas like cardiac surgery, oncology, and trauma medicine, Russian healthcare centers match or even exceed American standards.
Emergency services respond fast. When every minute counts, Moscow’s ambulance service arrives in about 12 minutes on average, according to data from the city’s emergency medical station. In New York City, the average wait is around 20 minutes.
Diagnostics move quickly, even for complex cases. At leading private clinics in Moscow, you can undergo a CT scan, MRI, or comprehensive lab work without long lines and receive results within an hour. For remote consultations on radiology studies, the waiting period typically does not exceed 72 hours, depending on the complexity of the case. Even at major federal oncology centers serving patients from across Russia, specialists review telemedicine requests within five working days — completely free of charge. By comparison, in the US, scheduling an MRI or a specialist consultation can easily take weeks, and health insurance approval adds even more delays.
The price gap between the two systems is one of the most tangible financial reasons Americans relocate to Russia. According to the 2025 Milliman Medical Index — the benchmark 20th edition — total annual healthcare spending for a typical American family of four reached approximately $35,000. That figure represents the combined employer and employee contributions to employer-sponsored health insurance, plus the family’s out-of-pocket expenses.
By comparison, a similar family in Russia using state coverage plus a mid-tier private health insurance policy spends roughly an order of magnitude less — in other words, a small fraction of the US cost.
Note on currency: ruble figures in this guide are converted to dollars at the Central Bank of Russia’s April 2026 reference rate of roughly 77 rubles to the dollar.
| Service | US (uninsured) | Russia (private pay) | US (with insurance, cost-share) | Russia (Compulsory health insurance) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary care visit | $100–400 | $26–55 (2,000–4,300 RUB) | $25–60 | Free |
| Abdominal ultrasound | $250–700 | $25–55 (2,000–4,500 RUB) | $40–150 | Free |
| MRI (one area) | $650–2,500 | $50–320 (3,900–24,000 RUB) | $100–500 | Free with referral |
| Appendectomy | $10,000–35,000 | $1,040–3,250 (80,000–250,000 RUB) | $1,500–5,000 | Free |
| Childbirth (no complications) | $14,000–26,000 | $970–3,900 (75,000–300,000 RUB) | $2,500–5,000 | Free |
| Fracture + casting | $1,500–5,000 | $130–390 (10,000–30,000 RUB) | $250–1,000 | Free |
| Cavity filling (dental) | $100–600 | $40–155 (3,000–12,000 RUB) | $50–200 | Free |
State coverage picks up most scheduled and emergency care. Private insurance and fee-for-service comes in when you want a private clinic, faster diagnostics, or procedures that are not included in the basic plan. And here is the best part: even if you go fully private, your yearly healthcare bill in Russia will rarely be more than what an American family of four pays for just one month of insurance premiums back home.
OMS, DMS, MFC, SNILS – You will see these four acronyms in every form and in every conversation about healthcare in Russia. Nailing them down early makes the rest of the process a lot easier.
Think of this as Russia’s universal public health program, closer to what Medicare offers US retirees, except it runs for everyone.
The package includes primary care visits, specialist consults, labs, imaging (ultrasound, MRI, CT with a referral), scheduled and emergency hospital admissions, most surgeries, childbirth, and annual checkups. The policy is free to the holder; the state and employers cover the cost.
*OMS — Obyazatelnoye Meditsinskoye Strakhovaniye
Americans become eligible for Compulsory health insurance (OMS in Russia is similar to Medicare in the US, as it provides government-funded coverage) in one of two ways: by getting residency through the Shared Values Visa Program or Golden Visa program, or by signing an employment contract.
Voluntary health insurance gets you access to private clinics with no waiting, more procedures, a primary care doctor, English-speaking staff, and even dental care. You can buy a policy yourself, or your employer might offer it as a benefit.
Here is what it costs for one adult per year:
Entry-level plan: 15,000–25,000 rubles ($200-$330);
Mid-tier plans: 30,000–60,000 rubles ($400-$800);
Premium plan: 80,000–150,000 rubles ($1,000-$2,000) and goes up from there.
*DMS — Dobrovolnoe Meditsinskoe Strakhovanie
Social Security Number (in Russia SNILS, Strakhovoy Nomer Individualnogo Litsevogo Scheta) — it is what the pension and social systems use to identify you. Your US Social Security Number does not transfer, so you have to get a Russian one.
You will need a Social Security Number, (in Russia SNILS, Strakhovoy Nomer Individualnogo Litsevogo Scheta) to get Compulsory health insurance, to get a job, to pay taxes, and for almost any government service. So it is worth doing in your first few weeks in the country.
*SNILS — Strakhovoy Nomer Individualnogo Litsevogo Scheta
Multi-functional Centers are where you go to handle most of your Russian government paperwork. You file for your state health coverage, Social Security number, tax ID, etc. You can also register your address here and pick up all kinds of official documents.
*MFC (Mnogofunktsionalnyy Tsentr)
The state program does not cover everything. The main carve-outs to budget around:
Can I get Compulsory health insurance right after landing in Russia?
Please note that if you travel to Russia as a tourist, you will not be provided with compulsory health insurance upon landing. You would therefore need to arrange your own healthcare coverage through a valid private health insurance policy before entering the country.
Here are categories of foreign nationals who qualify for Compulsory health insurance
A Shared Values Visa holder becomes eligible for Compulsory health insurance (in Russian OMS, Obyazatelnoye Meditsinskoye Strakhovaniye) after receiving the Temporary Residence Permit (in Russian RVP, Razreshenie Na Vremennoe Prozhivanie) or signing an employment contract. Until then, private insurance or fee-for-service covers routine care. Emergency care is free for everyone regardless of status.
Does my US health insurance work in Russia?
Most US policies will not cover doctor visits or planned treatment abroad. Travel insurance is different — it only handles emergencies, and only for a short trip. If you are moving permanently, you will want Russian health coverage instead: Compulsory health insurance (in Russian OMS, Obyazatelnoye Meditsinskoye Strakhovaniye) or Voluntary health insurance (in Russian DMS, Dobrovolnoe Meditsinskoe Strakhovanie).
Can I keep my US doctor remotely?
Yes, you can do telehealth visits with your American doctor. But here is the catch: Russian pharmacies will not fill US prescriptions, and Russian labs will not run US lab orders. The smart move is to find a good Russian primary care doctor for day-to-day care, and keep your US doctor for a second opinion when something serious comes up.
Do I need vaccines or a medical exam to get a Temporary Residence Permit?
Yes. The mandatory exam includes a chest X-ray, testing for HIV, syphilis, tuberculosis, and leprosy, plus a substance-abuse evaluation. It is done at an accredited clinic, takes one or two days, and the certificate is valid for a year. For the full checklist, check the official Move to Russia guide.
What happens if I need emergency care before I have a policy?
Emergency care is free for everyone in Russia — no paperwork, no citizenship required. That is written right into the law. If you need scheduled care before you have insurance, you simply pay what the clinic charges.
Can I claim a tax deduction for Private Insurance premiums?
Yes. If you pay taxes in Russia as an individual, you can get back 13% of what you spend on Private Insurance premiums. Starting in 2024, the government raised the deduction limit to 150,000 rubles ($2,000). That means the most you can get back in a year is 19,500 rubles ($260). You claim it through the Federal Tax Service when you file your annual personal income tax form.
For Americans going this route, Russian healthcare offers two real advantages once you get temporary residency:
The caveat: public coverage is not automatic on the visa. You receive it with the Temporary Residence Permit or an employment contract, which means that if you choose to stay in Russia while you wait for a decision, you need to get a private insurance plan.
The practical sequence for an American family looks like this: apply for the Shared Values Visa Program with support of movetorussia.com/request/, and once the Temporary Residence Permit is approved, enroll in the state program and register with a local health center.
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