The government is in the process of finalizing a proposal to double the insurance coverage provided by the flagship Ayushman Bharat health scheme, raising it to Rs 10 lakh. This strategic move aims to ensure comprehensive support for severe diseases like cancer and transplants that incur higher expenditures, according to official sources on Wednesday.
An official announcement regarding this proposal is expected during the interim Union Budget on February 1, as per sources from PTI. Additionally, the Union health ministry is contemplating a substantial expansion of beneficiaries to 100 crore under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). This expansion would include Kisan Samman Nidhi recipients, construction workers, non-coal mine workers, and ASHA workers over the next three years.
To encompass serious illnesses requiring expenditures exceeding Rs 5 lakh, such as transplants and high-cost cancer treatments, the ministry is finalizing a proposal to increase the coverage amount from Rs 5 lakh per family per year to Rs 10 lakh per family per year starting from 2023-24, as per the sources.
The proposed increase in coverage to Rs 10 lakh per family per year and the expansion of the beneficiary base to 100 crore individuals would necessitate an additional annual allocation of Rs 12,076 crore, according to official sources. Since its launch in 2018, the AB PMJAY scheme has successfully facilitated 6.2 crore hospital admissions, totaling more than Rs 79,157 crore.
Highlighting the significance of the scheme, an official emphasized that if a beneficiary had sought the same treatment outside the ambit of AB PM-JAY, the total cost would have nearly doubled.
The allocated budget for Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY for the financial year 2023-24 is Rs 7,200 crore, projected to more than double to around Rs 15,000 crore in the financial year 2025. Notably, the AB PMJAY achieved a milestone by generating 30 crore Ayushman cards on January 12.
With 4.83 crore cards, Uttar Pradesh leads the states in the highest number of Ayushman cards, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra with 3.78 crore and 2.39 crore Ayushman cards, respectively. Eleven states now boast more than one crore Ayushman cardholders.
The flagship scheme, implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA), aims to provide health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore beneficiary families. Ayushman card creation, a fundamental activity under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, is being actively pursued to ensure every beneficiary has an Ayushman card, as part of the on-spot services during the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra launched on November 15, 2023.
The scheme is committed to achieving gender parity, regional parity, and income parity in access to healthcare services, with 49 percent of Ayushman cards issued to female beneficiaries. Furthermore, 48 percent of the treatment provided under the scheme has been availed by females, highlighting gender equity as a core design principle of the scheme.
(With Agency Inputs)
Read also| Sharmila Takes Helm as Andhra Pradesh Congress President
