The Central Government has approved the extension of health insurance coverage under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that this extension aims to benefit 6 crore senior citizens from 4.5 crore families with a free health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh.
Following the Cabinet meeting, Minister Vaishnaw stated, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had committed to providing health coverage under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY for all senior citizens aged 70 years and above. Many families already covered under the scheme include senior citizens. For such families, additional coverage, or top-up coverage, will amount to Rs 5 lakh.”
Eligible beneficiaries will be issued a new distinct card under this scheme. According to the government, senior citizens aged 70 years and above who are already availing benefits of other public health insurance schemes like the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), or Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) can choose between their existing scheme or opt for AB PM-JAY.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “We are committed to ensuring accessible, affordable, and top-quality healthcare for every Indian. In this context, the Cabinet today has decided to further expand the ambit of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY to provide health coverage for all citizens above 70 years. This scheme will ensure dignity, care, and security for 6 crore citizens.”
According to the government, AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, providing health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore families. All members of the eligible families, regardless of age, are covered under the scheme.
To date, the scheme has covered 7.37 crore hospital admissions, with 49 percent of beneficiaries being women. The public has benefited to the extent of over Rs 1 lakh crore under the scheme.
