Now Ayushman Bharat Scheme covers seniors | Fusion - WeRIndia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a major healthcare initiative aimed at senior citizens, extending Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) coverage to all citizens aged 70 and above.

Expected to benefit around six crore seniors across 4.5 crore households, this new provision is designed to ensure top-quality, accessible healthcare for India’s elderly population.

Under this scheme, seniors can avail of free treatment worth up to ₹5 lakhs annually at any AB PMJAY empanelled hospital from October 29 onwards. Accessible nationwide, the program spans 33 states and Union Territories, excluding Delhi, Odisha, and West Bengal.

Notably, even seniors holding private health insurance or Employees’ State Insurance can still benefit from the Ayushman Bharat coverage.

To qualify, citizens aged 70 and above simply need to register on the PMJAY portal or Ayushman app and complete eKYC requirements.

Those already holding an Ayushman card are required to re-register to obtain a new one. Additionally, seniors from families already covered under PMJAY receive an extra ₹5 lakh top-up annually exclusively for their use.

Alongside this, PM Modi is introducing the U-WIN portal—a comprehensive digital system inspired by the Co-WIN platform for managing COVID-19 vaccinations.

This new platform will permanently track vaccinations for children from birth to age 17 and pregnant women, thereby improving the health monitoring infrastructure.

The AB-PMJAY scheme, which currently supports around 10.74 crore underprivileged families, has already funded over 7.37 crore hospital admissions, benefiting nearly 50% of women.

The initiative has saved the public over ₹1 lakh crore so far, highlighting the scheme’s impact.

Additionally, the program offers coverage to seniors enrolled in various schemes.

These include the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), and Ayushman CAPF etc. However, they must choose between their existing schemes and Ayushman Bharat.

With more than 29,600 hospitals, including over 12,000 private facilities, enlisted under AB-PMJAY, the government aims to make affordable healthcare more accessible and support India’s senior citizens effectively.

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