6.5 lakh senior citizens have joined Ayushman Bharat program after latest expansion on ET HealthWorld

New Delhi: In just eleven days since the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) was extended to individuals aged 70 years and above, the scheme has seen a surge in enrollment of elderly beneficiaries.

According to National Health Authority data, around 6.5 lakh elderly people registered and received Ayushman cards during this period. Kerala leads in new registrations of senior citizens, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Haryana.

Ayushman Bharat PMJAY scheme provides free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year. With the expansion recently announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, people over 70 years of age will also be able to benefit from health insurance services under this scheme. This extension generated significant interest with more than 6 lakh new senior beneficiaries joining within a few days of the announcement.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ranchi, Jharkhand on September 23, 2018, PMJAY aims to increase accessibility to healthcare for poor and disadvantaged families by providing comprehensive health insurance cover. The program covers cashless treatment, including medication expenses, consultations, surgeries, intensive care care and other medical expenses.

Earlier on September 11, the Union Cabinet approved health insurance for all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their income, under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) master plan. With this approval, all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of their socio-economic status, will be able to benefit from EU PM-JAY benefits.

The Prime Minister announced the expansion of PMJAY, saying, “Every senior citizen in the country, aged 70 years and above, will get free hospital treatment through Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card.”

AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, providing health insurance of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalization to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore families. All members of eligible families are covered by the program, regardless of their age. The program covers 7.37 crore hospital admissions, of which 49 per cent beneficiaries are women. The public benefited to an extent of over Rs. 1 lakh crore under the scheme.

Later, in January 2022, the Government of India revised the beneficiary base under AB PM-JAY from 10.74 crore to 12 crore families, taking into account the ten-year population growth of 11.7% over India’s 2011 population. The program has been further expanded to cover 37 lakh working ASHAs/AWWs/AWHs and their families across the country for free healthcare benefits.

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