An announcement to double the insurance cover under its flagship Ayushman Bharat health scheme to Rs 10 lakh from Rs 5 lakh is expected to be announced in the interim budget 2024. The government is planning to cover serious ailments like cancer and transplants, which need more financial support.
The Union health ministry is also planning to double the beneficiaries to 100 crores under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana ( AB PM-JAY ) to include Kisan Samman Nidhi recipients, construction workers, non-coal mine workers and ASHA workers in the next three years.
“To ensure that serious illnesses requiring the expenditure of more than Rs 5 lakh such as transplants and high-cost cancer treatments etc. are also covered under AB PMJAY, the ministry is working on finalising a proposal to increase the cover amount from Rs 5 lakh per family per year to Rs 10 lakh per family per year from 2023-24 onwards,” A government official said.
Ayushman Bharat, launched in September 2018, is part of the National Health Policy 2017. Its main objective is to guarantee Universal Health Coverage. Under Ayushman Bharat, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or PM-JAY is recognized as the largest health assurance scheme in the world.
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