New Delhi, January 17 : The government is reportedly working on a proposal to double the insurance cover under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme to Rs 10 lakh. This move aims to provide increased support for serious diseases such as cancer and transplants that involve higher expenditures. An official announcement regarding this proposal is anticipated in the interim Union Budget on February 1.
In addition to the potential increase in insurance coverage, the Union health ministry is considering doubling the beneficiaries to 100 crore under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). This expansion would include recipients of Kisan Samman Nidhi, construction workers, non-coal mine workers, and ASHA workers over the next three years.
The proposal envisions raising the cover amount from Rs 5 lakh per family per year to Rs 10 lakh per family per year from the financial year 2023-24 onwards. The increased coverage and beneficiary base would require an additional allocation of Rs 12,076 crore per annum.
Since its launch in 2018, the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme has successfully facilitated 6.2 crore hospital admissions, amounting to more than Rs 79,157 crore. The budget allocated for the scheme in the financial year 2023-24 is Rs 7,200 crore, expected to more than double to around Rs 15,000 crore in the financial year 2025.
As of January 12, the AB PMJAY has generated over 30 crore Ayushman cards, with Uttar Pradesh leading the states with 4.83 crore cards. The scheme, implemented by the National Health Authority, aims to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore beneficiary families.
Efforts are underway to ensure gender parity, regional parity, and income parity in access to healthcare services. As part of the core design of the scheme, 49% of Ayushman cards have been issued to female beneficiaries, and 48% of treatments provided under the scheme have been availed by females.
