New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS): The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, approved health coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of income, under the flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

Announcing the decision after the Cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said: " "It has been decided to cover our senior citizens who are more than 70 years old under universal health coverage, Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya Yojana. This is a very big decision. There is great humanitarian thinking in this decision. They will get the facility of free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh and this will cover about 4.5 crore families in the country, which will include about 6 crore senior citizens..."

The expansion of cover to senior citizens of the age of 70 and above was earlier announced by PM Modi in April 2024 during the launch of the BJP manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.

According to a cabinet communique, all senior citizens, aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status, would be eligible to avail the benefits of AB PM-JAY. The eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under the scheme.

Senior citizens of the age 70 years and above, belonging to families already covered under the scheme, will get an additional top-up cover up to Rs 5 lakh per year for themselves (which they do not have to share with the other members of the family who are below the age of 70 years). All other senior citizens of the age 70 years and above will get a cover up to Rs 5 lakh per year on a family basis.

Those senior citizens of the stipulated age, who are already availing benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), or the Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) may either choose to continue their existing scheme or opt for AB PMJAY.

However, those who have private health insurance policies or are covered under the Employees’ State Insurance scheme will be eligible to avail benefits under AB PM-JAY.

AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme which provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore families. All members of the eligible families irrespective of age are covered under the scheme, the statement said, adding that it has covered 7.37 crore hospital admissions, including 49 per cent women beneficiaries.

The public has benefited to the extent of over Rs 1 lakh crore under the scheme.

The AB PM-JAY scheme has witnessed continuous expansion of the beneficiary base. Initially, 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families comprising the bottom 40 per cent of India’s population were covered under the scheme. Later, the government revised the beneficiary base under AB PM-JAY from 10.74 crore to 12 crore families considering India’s decadal population growth of 11.7 per cent over the 2011 population.

The scheme was further expanded to cover 37 lakh ASHAs/AWWs/AWHs working across the country and their families for free healthcare benefits.