Ayushman Bharat Prime Minister Public Health Scheme

Why in news?

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved health coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above regardless of income under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
• It aims to benefit about 4.5 crore families with 6 crore senior citizens with a free health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh on a family basis.
• Now all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status, will be eligible to avail the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
• Eligible senior citizens will be issued a new unique card under the scheme.
• All other senior citizens aged 70 years and above will get a cover of up to ₹5 lakh per year on a family basis.
  • They will not have to share it with other family members who are below 70 years of age

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

• It was launched in the year 2018
• National Health Authority is the nodal ministry for this scheme
• Goal - To provide free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary health services
• The selection of beneficiaries in this scheme is based on the data of Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011).
  • PMJAY is a fully government-funded scheme whose implementation cost is shared between the central and state governments.
  • In the ratio of 60:40 for states and union territories with legislature.
  • In the ratio of 90:10 for the Northeast and three Himalayan states - Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand.
• 100 percent central funding for union territories without legislature.
• There is no limit on family size, age and gender under the scheme.
• PMJAY is a portable scheme, beneficiaries can avail the benefits of this scheme in any public or private listed hospital across the country.
• Under this scheme, medicines, diagnostic services, doctors' fees, room charges, OT and ICU charges etc. are available free of cost.
• Under this scheme, diagnostic treatment, health treatment and medicines are available free of cost for 3 days before hospitalization and 15 days after hospitalization.
• This is the world's largest health insurance/assurance scheme which is fully funded by the government.