Govt mulls doubling number of AB-PMJAY beneficiaries, insurance amount

New Delhi: The government is actively considering doubling the beneficiary base under its flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme over the next three years, with all those aged above 70 years to be brought under its ambit to begin with, and also increase the insurance coverage to Rs 10 lakh per year.

The proposals, if given a go ahead, would entail an additional expenditure of Rs 12,076 crore per annum for the

exchequer as per estimates prepared by the National Health Authority, official sources told news agency.

“Discussions are happening to double the beneficiary base under the AB-PMJAY over the next three years, which, if implemented, will cover more than two-thirds population of the country with health cover, the sources said while noting that medical expenditure is one of the biggest reasons that push families to indebtedness.

“Deliberations are also underway over finalising a proposal to double the limit of the coverage amount from the existing Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh,” they said.

These proposals or some parts of it are expected to be announced in the Union Budget to be presented later this month.

In the interim Budget 2024, the government increased the allocation for the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore families, to Rs 7,200 crore while Rs 646 crore was assigned for the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). President Droupadi Murmu, in her address to the joint sitting of Parliament on June 27, had said all

the elderly above 70 years of age will also be covered and get the benefit of free treatment

under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana now.