The government is set to unveil a proposal to double the insurance coverage under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. This initiative aims to provide comprehensive support for critical illnesses such as cancer and transplants, which often involve higher expenses. The announcement is expected to be made in the upcoming interim Union Budget on February 1. Additionally, the Union health ministry plans to expand the beneficiaries to 100 crore individuals under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), encompassing recipients of Kisan Samman Nidhi, construction workers, non-coal mine workers, and ASHA workers within the next three years.
To address the growing healthcare needs, the ministry is actively working on finalizing the proposal to increase the coverage amount from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per family per year starting from 2023-24. This expansion of coverage and beneficiaries would necessitate an additional allocation of Rs 12,076 crore annually. The Ayushman Bharat scheme has demonstrated its effectiveness with 6.2 crore hospital admissions, totaling over Rs 79,157 crore since its launch in 2018.
The proposed budget for Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY for the fiscal year 2023-24 is Rs 7,200 crore, expected to more than double to around Rs 15,000 crore in the financial year 2025. Notably, the scheme surpassed a significant milestone by generating over 30 crore Ayushman cards on January 12. Uttar Pradesh leads with 4.83 crore Ayushman cards, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Gender equity is embedded in the core design of the scheme, with 49% of Ayushman cards issued to female beneficiaries and 48% of treatments availed by females.
The Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY aims to provide health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore beneficiary families. Efforts are underway to ensure that every scheme beneficiary possesses an Ayushman card, reinforcing the scheme's commitment to achieving gender parity, regional parity, and income parity in accessing healthcare services.
