New Delhi: In a significant move that will help 4.5 crore families, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved health coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above irrespective of their income under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
All senior citizens who are 70 years old and above, irrespective of their socio- economic status, would be eligible to avail the benefits of AB PM-JAY. Senior citizens (70-plus) belonging to families already covered under AB PM-JAY will get an additional top-up cover up to Rs 5 lakh per year for themselves. They do not have to share the cover with other members of the family who are below 70 years.
Senior citizens (70-plus) who are already getting benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), and Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) can keep their existing scheme, or opt for AB PMJAY. Senior citizens above 70 years covered by private policies or Employees’ State Insurance Scheme are eligible for AB PM-JAY.
The AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme which provides cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore people, corresponding to 12.34 crore families.
“We are committed to ensuring accessible, affordable and top quality healthcare for every Indian,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X.
All members of eligible families irrespective of age are covered under the scheme. The scheme has covered 7.37 crore hospital admissions including 49 percent women beneficiaries. The public has benefited to the extent of over Rs 1 lakh crore under the scheme, the government said.
The expansion of cover to senior citizens of 70 and above was announced by PM Modi in April.
The government said the AB PM-JAY scheme has seen continuous expansion of the beneficiary base. Initially, 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families comprising the bottom 40 percent of India’s population were covered under the scheme. Later, the government in January 2022 revised the beneficiary base under AB PM-JAY from 10.74 crore to 12 crore families considering India’s decadal population growth of 11.7 per cent over 2011 population.
The scheme was further expanded to cover 37 lakh ASHAs/AWWs/AWHs working across the country and their families for free healthcare benefits. Taking the mission ahead, AB PM-JAY would now provide free healthcare coverage of Rs 5 lakh to all citizens of the age-group of 70 years and above across the country.
The scheme provides cashless and paperless benefit cover of Rs 5 lakh per annum per family on a floater basis in empanelled hospitals across India. The eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under AB-PMJAY.
The move is in line with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government’s manifesto promise to increase the scheme’s coverage to include all senior citizens over 70 years.
Focus on senior citizens is understandable as recent data shows that the relatively young India today will turn into a rapidly ageing society in the coming decades.
