Managing their health and the recent increase in the cost of health care has been a major cause of concern among many of the aging citizens in India. But that’s all about to change starting Wednesday the 11th of September. The Union Cabinet has cleared the broadening of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to incorporate seniors or people above 70 without any income eligibility criterion. It is on the cards with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announcing and saying that the government will expand this scheme soon.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, PM Narendra Modi said, “We are committed to providing affordable and quality health care to every Indian citizen. We have made a positive and progressive change in India’s public health care system and will ensure dignity, care and security to 6 crore senior citizens”
As per the latest announcement by the government, the new beneficiaries of the scheme are people of 70 years and above, for which health coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family is applicable. Also, in families already included in the Ayushman Bharat scheme and those above 70 years of age, each will be given Rs 5 lakh per year specifically for health purposes only. This top-up guarantees that the seniors receiving the coverage do not have to share this with other members of the family.
The AB-PMJAY, which was launched in September 2018, is the largest publicly funded health insurance scheme across the globe. At present, it enrolls 12 crore families and mainly focuses on the First and Last Mile Energy Consumers, the bottom 40 percent of India’s population, KPCs, or poor households. The scheme also offers free health insurance to 37 lakh ASHA workers and their families throughout India.
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