The central government has made a major announcement for elderly citizens. People aged 70 and above will now be included in the government’s health scheme.
In a recent cabinet meeting, the proposal to extend the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to people aged 70 years and above was approved.
This decision is expected to benefit approximately 6 crore elderly individuals from 4.5 crore families, providing them with health insurance coverage.
No Premium for Ayushman Bharat Health Scheme
Ayushman Bharat is the world’s largest health insurance scheme and is offered for free, meaning policyholders do not have to pay any premium.
Under this scheme, a family receives coverage of Rs 5 lakh.
For elderly people already covered by the scheme, the government will provide an additional top-up of Rs 5 lakh per year, making the total coverage Rs 10 lakh for those individuals.
Options for Those Using Other Health Schemes
If an elderly person is already using a different government health insurance scheme, they will need to exit that scheme to take advantage of Ayushman Bharat.
Current government schemes like the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS),
and Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) are available
. However, those who have private health insurance or are covered by the Employees State Insurance Scheme can continue to use those benefits as well.
Coverage for Multiple Elderly Members in a Family
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav clarified that if two people aged 70 or above are in the same family, they will share the Rs 5 lakh coverage. The government has initially allocated Rs 3,437 crore for the scheme, and this amount may increase based on demand.
State Governments’ Role in Funding
Most state governments will bear 40% of the cost of this scheme, while the central government will cover 90% of the cost in hilly and northeastern states.
By including elderly citizens from all income groups, millions of families will benefit.
This move addresses the need for higher medical care for the elderly, as private health policies for them tend to be very expensive.
