Ayushman Bharat Yojana has been extended to all senior citizens who are 70 years and older and resident Indians to offer health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh. The unique card ‘Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card’ is issued to seniors to avail of the facility under the scheme. After its roll-out for all seniors irrespective of income group on October 29, more than 2.16 lakh new cards have been issued to seniors aged 70 years and above) in the first week of the scheme roll-out, as per the Indian Express report. At the same time, 32,000 seniors already registered under the scheme based on income criteria, have registered again for the additional coverage of Rs 5 lakh, especially available to them in addition to the family coverage of Rs 5 lakh.

In the last seven days to November 11, 2024, till the time of writing, 3.99 lakh cards have been issued to such seniors, per the National Health Authority (NHA) data. The highest number of cards were issued in Madhya Pradesh (1.37 lakh), followed by Kerala (1.11 lakh) and Uttar Pradesh (60 thousand).

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The top three states in issuing Ayushman cards to seniors have one thing in common; the high proportion of senior population in the state. As per the ‘Elderly in India 2021’ report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the senior population (60 years and above) is projected to reach 13.1 per cent (approximately 19.38 crore) of the total population of India, by 2031.

Kerala is projected to have around 20.9 per cent of the senior population of the total population of the state. The high literacy rate in the state could be behind the high application for Ayushman Cards from seniors in the state. Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh, which is also the most populated state, and Madhya Pradesh being a large state, the senior population is projected to reach 10.3 per cent, and 11.1 per cent, respectively, of the state population by 2031.

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The other state which has issued more than 10,000 Ayushman cards in the last seven days to November 11, 2024, is Gujarat (19,938), Karnataka (16,560), Haryana (15,691), and Tamil Nadu (10,434).

Although the scheme has been rolled out in all states except Delhi and West Bengal; its implementation has not yet started in a few states that have confirmed the roll-out. For example, it has not yet been carried out due to the assembly polls in Maharashtra. Jharkhand also delayed implementation for the same reason.

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The scheme expansion is a huge step in ensuring seniors' good health, especially those who were not eligible earlier based on their family income, but at the same time, they could not afford the high insurance premiums as they aged. Ayushman Bharat Yojana (PM-JAY) is available to all seniors who will be covered for all diseases from day one and can avail treatment under around 1900 procedures.

Registration in the scheme is also simple. A senior needs to register on the official website of NHA through their Aadhaar details and the card is issued after 15 minutes. The unique card can be used at 17,084 government as well as 13,647 private hospitals empanelled under the scheme.