NEW DELHI: The enrolment of senior citizens aged 70 and above, irrespective of income, under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) will begin in a week’s time, govt sources have confirmed.
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Initially, the sources said, enrolment will be carried out on a pilot basis in selected locations and then it will be expanded across the country.
“The eligible senior citizens, including those covered currently under AB-PMJAY, must apply for the scheme. It can be done either through Ayushman mobile application or the PMJAY portal,” said a govt source.
Aadhaar card will be needed for verifying age and other details of the intended beneficiaries, the source added.
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There is no waiting period, no cooling off period. Eligible beneficiaries can avail the benefits – free health insurance cover worth Rs 5 lakh annually on a family basis immediately after the registration and eKYC, officials said.
At present, AB-PMJAY, which caters mainly to the poor and vulnerable families, has around 25 health packages catering to the needs of elderly. Govt sources said the National Health Authority (NHA), which is the implementing agency for AB-PMJAY, is working towards adding more packages that exclusively tend to geriatric care or old-age related ailments.
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The annual premium per beneficiary under AB-PMJAY is Rs 1,102 currently, including Rs 50 administrative charges. Of this, 60% is paid by the Centre while the rest 40% is paid by the states.
A senior health ministry official said that govt is considering an increase in the premium amount paid by the Centre, based on the recommendations of a Niti Aayog committee headed by Dr V K Paul.
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On Wednesday, the Union cabinet under the chairmanship of PM Modi approved the expansion of AB-PMJAY to include senior citizens aged 70 and above and sanctioned an initial outlay of Rs 3,437 crore to fund the additional financial needs.
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