Approximately 6 crore elderly individuals will benefit from this initiative, with a special insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per year.
The Centre announced that senior citizens above 70 will now be covered under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. The scheme will benefit approximately 4.5 crore families, including 6 crore senior citizens.
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“This is a very big decision and has humanitarian thinking in it. PM Modi has fulfilled his commitment today,” Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a cabinet briefing in Delhi.
“The eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under AB PM-JAY. The senior citizens of the age 70 years and above belonging to families already covered under the scheme will get an additional top-up cover upto Rs 5 lakh per year for themselves. All other senior citizens of the age 70 years and above will get a cover upto Rs 5 lakh per year on a family basis,” the Centre announced in an official press release.
In the official statement, the government further stated that senior citizens aged 70 and above with private health insurance or under the Employees’ State Insurance scheme will now be able to access benefits under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
However, those already covered by public health insurance schemes like the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), or Ayushman CAPF must choose between their existing scheme or AB PM-JAY, according to the statement.
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 to six crore citizens!”
According to the government, AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme which provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore families.
