The Government of India has approved health coverage for senior citizens under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). About six crore senior citizens will benefit from this scheme. Announcing this decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that under this scheme, six crore senior citizens of about 4.5 crore families will get free health insurance of Rs 5 lakh, which will be on family basis.
The Government of India has approved health coverage for senior citizens under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). About six crore senior citizens will benefit from this scheme. The government has decided to provide health coverage under this flagship scheme to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, regardless of their income or socio-economic status.
Announcing the decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the scheme will provide free health insurance of Rs 5 lakh to six crore senior citizens of about 4.5 crore families, which will be on family basis.
Facility of additional top-up cover of Rs 5 lakh:
Under this initiative, a new Distinct Card will be issued to eligible senior citizens, through which citizens can avail the benefits of this scheme. Apart from this, senior citizens who are already covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme will get an additional top-up cover of Rs 5 lakh annually, which will be only for the senior citizen and will not be shared with other family members (below 70 years of age).
At the same time, senior citizens aged 70 years and above who are already benefiting under other government health insurance schemes like CGHS, ECHS, or Ayushman CAPF will have the option to continue with their existing insurance scheme or migrate to ABPM-JAY.
How to get Distinct Card:
To avail health coverage for senior citizens under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), some necessary documents will be required. The details of which are given below.
Aadhaar Card: Aadhar card is required as proof of identity and address.
Ayushman Bharat Card: People who are already getting the benefit of this scheme must have Ayushman Bharat Card. A special card will be issued to the newly eligible senior citizens.
Age Certificate: Aadhaar card or other government documents (such as birth certificate or pension card) may be required for proof of age.
Ration Card or Family Identity Card: Ration card or family identity card issued by the state may be required for identification of family members and their details.
Residence Certificate: Residence certificate issued by the state or central government such as electricity bill, water bill or Aadhaar card.
If already covered by any other government scheme: Proof of being a beneficiary under CGHS, ECHS, or other government health insurance schemes.
Senior citizens of this age group who are covered under private health insurance or Employees State Insurance Scheme (ESI) will also be eligible to receive benefits under ABPM-JAY.
55 crore people have received benefits:
This coverage expansion was announced by PM Modi in April 2024. Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which is the world’s largest publicly funded health scheme, provides annual health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family, and so far 55 crore people (12.34 crore families) have availed the benefits of this scheme. Under this scheme, the public has so far got benefits of more than Rs 1 lakh crore.
