Medical students of IGMC hospital form the alphabet ‘AB’ ahead of the one-year completion of Ayushman Bharat scheme which was launched on Sept. 23, 2018, at the historical ridge in Shimla. (Image: PTI File)
The inclusion of senior citizens is based on the higher likelihood of individuals aged 70 and above requiring hospitalisation compared to the rest of the population.
People aged above 70 years can now reap the benefits of the world’s largest health insurance scheme by registering themselves on the Ayushman Bharat portal.
Individuals whose age is 70 years or older as per their Aadhar Card are eligible to apply for the Modi government’s flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday said the scheme has been extended to include individuals aged 70 and older, regardless of income.
The scheme is set to be operational within a week.
The move will significantly benefit women as government data shows more than half of individuals aged 70 and above are women and 54% of these women are widows.
Government sources said a pilot will be launched to sort out any issues that may arise in the portal as the expansion will add about 2 crore families and 3 crore individuals to the scheme.
The government citing data collected said more than 6 crore people have already availed of the benefits of this scheme.
This has saved them money by reducing their out-of-pocket expenditure by around Rs 1 lakh crore.
The government decided to bring senior citizens in the ambit of the scheme because of the higher probability of the 70+ age group people going to the hospital than the rest of the population.
Taken into consideration was also the factor that people who fall in this age group cannot easily avail the benefits of private health insurance, because it is not available and in cases that they are available, the insurance premiums are higher.
“Private insurance is difficult to obtain for such old-age people. Centre will work towards adding more packages that exclusively tend to geriatric care,” a government source said. “The scheme is also expected to help women further as 58% of 70+ age people are women, 54% of them being widows.”
Ayushman Bharat, introduced in 2018, is touted as a landmark health initiative designed to provide universal health coverage, particularly for rural and vulnerable populations.
The program aims to comprehensively meet health needs across primary, secondary and tertiary care levels, driven by the central government’s commitment to improving healthcare access.
How To Apply
To access the benefits of Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme, individuals must register through the official portal. The portal also includes a face authentication feature, with a specific link provided for senior citizens.
Once e-KYC is done, the card will be operational for use immediately. Also, the government has decided that those already having an Ayushman card will need to re-apply for a new card and complete their eKYC again.
Those having private insurance and ESIC beneficiaries can also apply for the AB PM-JAY scheme.
The government is also planning to begin an awareness campaign across media platforms while pushing field-level workers and community-level participation for creating awareness.
Who Will Fund The Scheme
The Centre will continue to fund its share of the scheme which stands at 60 percent. “If states expand the scheme or modify it to include other age groups, it is up to them,” said the source quoted above.
“Some states have expanded the beneficiary base beyond Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC). They provide the premium for these beneficiaries.”
According to the press release by the union health ministry, senior citizens within families already covered by AB PM-JAY will receive an additional top-up cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per year. “This top-up will be for them, and they will not have to share it with other family members under the age of 70,” the source said.
Also, senior citizens who are benefiting from 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) already, have the option to either continue with their current scheme or opt for Ayushman Bharat.
