Preparations are being made to change the Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY scheme. The government is considering doubling the health insurance cover provided under this in Budget 2024.
The NDA government at the Center under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to present the full budget (Union Budget 2024) this month. This time a coalition government has been formed in the country, so people expect it to be populist. It is expected that the government may make some big announcements regarding Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) and Ayushman Bharat Scheme in this budget. According to the report, the Center is considering increasing the coverage limit under the Ayushman Bharat scheme from Rs 5 lakh.
Insurance coverage limit will increase!
According to a PTI report, the NDA government is considering increasing both the number of beneficiaries and the insurance amount of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. It has been quoted from sources that the coverage limit given to the beneficiaries under the scheme is set to be increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per year. If the report is to be believed, the NDA Govt is considering doubling the beneficiary base under its flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in the next three years.
Preparations to finalize the coverage proposal
If the government announces to double the number of beneficiaries under AB-PMJAY in the next three years, then more than two-thirds of the country’s population will be able to get health cover. Sources have said in the report that the government is considering this matter because the huge expenditure on treatment is one of the biggest reasons that pushes families into the debt trap. They said that in view of this, the government is also deliberating on finalizing the proposal to increase the coverage amount limit of Ayushman Yojana from the current Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
This much burden will increase on the government treasury.
The central government is going to present the general budget this month and the date for this has been fixed as 23 July. These proposals or some parts of it are expected to be announced in this budget. According to the report, if these proposals are approved, then according to the estimate prepared by the National Health Authority, there will be an additional burden of Rs 12,076 crore on the government treasury every year. Another source said that including people above 70 years of age, about 4-5 crore more beneficiaries will be included under this scheme.
People will get relief in expensive treatment
It is worth noting that the limit of Rs 5 lakh was fixed for Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY in the year 2018. Now, with the aim of giving relief to families in case of inflation and other expensive treatments including transplant, it is being considered to double the coverage limit under this scheme. Let us tell you here that President Draupadi Murmu, while addressing the joint session of Parliament on June 27, said that all the elderly above the age of 70 years will also be covered under the Ayushman scheme and they will get the facility of free treatment.
