Center Extends Ayushman Bharat Free Health Insurance Scheme to all Above 70

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw making the announcement on Wednesday said that this will be “rolled out soon”.

The Union Cabinet has announced the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to provide health coverage to “all senior citizens aged 70 years and above irrespective of their income”

This move comes as a relief to the aging citizens, in the rising cost of healthcare expenses.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw making the announcement on Wednesday said that this will be “rolled out soon”.

What is the Ayushman Bharat Yojana?

Launched in 2018, the AB-PMJAY is the world’s largest government-funded health insurance scheme, currently covering 12 Cr families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

It also provides free healthcare benefits to 37 lakh Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers and their families.

PM Narendra Modi lauded the scheme, writing on X, “We are committed to ensuring accessible, affordable and top-quality healthcare for every Indian. This scheme will ensure dignity, care, and security to six crore citizens!”

Ayushman Bharat Scheme Eligibility

Under the new provision, all senior citizens aged 70 and above will receive health coverage of INR 5 Lakh on a family basis.

Those already covered under the AB-PMJAY will receive an additional top-up of INR 5 Lakh per year for themselves. This top-up ensures that senior members do not have to share coverage with other family members.

According to the announcement, beneficiaries of other public health insurance schemes such as the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), and Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) can choose to continue their existing coverage or opt for AB-PMJAY.

Additionally, senior citizens aged 70 and above with private health insurance or under the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme will also be eligible for the scheme’s benefits.

Union Minister Vaishnaw clarified that if there are two senior citizens in a family, the INR 5 Lakh coverage will be shared between them.

"This is a big step towards ensuring the social security of senior citizens, especially as India transitions to nuclear families," he said.

In her address to Parliament in June, President Droupadi Murmu had indicated that the government would provide free treatment to the elderly above 70 years of age under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.

She stated, “My government is going to take one more decision; all the elderly above 70 years of age will get the benefit of free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.”

The expansion is also notable given the projected growth in India's elderly population.

The Longitudinal Ageing Study in India projects that the proportion of those aged 60 and above will increase from 8.6% in 2011 to 19.5% by 2050.

While the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that India's elderly population will rise from 153 million to 347 million by 2050. This growing demographic will have significant implications for the country's healthcare system, making health insurance coverage for this group especially critical.

While the expansion has been widely praised, some critics point out that the Ayushman Bharat scheme currently covers only in-patient care and does not include out-patient department (OPD) services, which account for a significant portion of medical expenses.

A study published in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine found that 40-80% of healthcare expenditures in India are on OPD services, leading to substantial out-of-pocket expenses for many.

For ABHA ID registration and other Ayushman Bharat scheme details check the Ayushman Bharat portal.