Ayushman Bharat PMJAY for senior citizens above 70 years: Checklist of mandatory documents for eligibility

The Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme was extended to senior citizens aged 70 years and above and provided free medical treatment until 2000. ₹5 lakh per family per year. The scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, is open to all senior citizens, irrespective of their economic status.

This initiative is expected to benefit nearly six crore senior citizens from 4.5 crore families by providing financial assistance and access to healthcare. For families with more than one senior member, ₹5 lakh insurance cover will be shared among them as the scheme offers family-wise cover.

Important Details About the Program

Suitability:

Individuals aged 70 and over can benefit from this right regardless of their income. Eligibility will be determined based on the age recorded in the Aadhaar card.

Aadhaar based e-KYC is mandatory for registration. Without Aadhaar, senior citizens cannot register or get Ayushman card.

All eligible senior citizens will be issued a separate Ayushman card to avail the benefits of the scheme.

Treatment can be benefited immediately after registration, without any waiting period for illness or treatment.

Once you enroll an eligible family member, others age 70 and older can be added using the “Add Member” feature in the enrollment portal.

How to apply?

Applications can be made online via www.beneficiary.nha.gov.in or through the Ayushman app available on the Google Play Store.

The plan was created to increase seniors’ access to quality healthcare and provide financial support to families dealing with medical expenses. For the full list of hospitals appointed under the programme, visit the official website of the National Health Authority.

Why is this plan important?

As India’s population ages, it is crucial to make universal health insurance for those over 70 years of age. At the time of the 2011 census, only 8.6 percent of India’s population was above 60 years of age. This rate is expected to rise to 19.5 percent by 2050, according to the government’s Longitudinal Study on Aging in India (LASI). In numerical terms, the number of Indians over the age of 60 is expected to be 319 million in 2050; This number is more than three times the 103 million in 2011.