The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) was rolled out on November 29, 2024, for all resident senior citizens aged 70 years and above. Since then, it has witnessed more than 10 lakh enrolments. Out of the total, around four crore card enrollments were by females. Ayushman Bharat Yojana was first launched in September 2018 but only for the selected beneficiaries based on occupation and income, based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011). The recent extension of the scheme for all seniors aged 70 and above opened the door for them to get health coverage of Rs 5 lakh, irrespective of their income.

How Many Seniors Are Expected To Benefit From Extended Scheme?

The scheme already covered approximately 12 crore families from the economically weaker section. After this extension, it is expected to benefit around 4.5 crore families and six crore more senior citizens.

An eligible beneficiary can register for the scheme online or offline. The scheme provides health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh per year for hospitalisation and tertiary care. The most important benefit of the scheme is that it covers pre-existing diseases from day one. There is no waiting period, and the facility is cashless at the empanelled hospitals. As of November 11, 2024, there are 17,085 government and 13,740 private hospitals empanelled under the scheme, as per the NHA website.

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Difference Between Ayushman Bharat Yojana And Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card:

Ayushman Bharat Yojana is a scheme offering Rs 5 lakh health insurance coverage. It also provides healthcare services like preventive, palliative, and curative healthcare services through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs formerly named Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs).

Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card is a unique card for beneficiaries to show to the hospitals to avail of the services. The card can be applied online or offline.

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What Are The Document Required To Apply For Ayushman Card?

The documents required to apply for the card include an Aadhaar card, mobile number, email ID, date of birth, and other KYC details like address and family member details.

Which Medical Procedures Are Covered:

The treatments and procedures include cardiac procedures, coronary angioplasty, cataract surgery, oncology, burns management, emergency, general medicine including pediatric medical management, mental disorders, orthopaedics, ENT, plastic & reconstructive surgery, and urology, among many others.

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How To Apply For Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card?

To register in the scheme, keep the KYC documents ready and submit them online on NHA’s official portal. You may read the process to register for an Ayushman card here.

Registration can be done offline by submitting Aadhaar and other KYC information and documents to the Arogya Mandir or Common Service Center (CSC).