Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget May Bring Relief For India's Senior Citizens

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New Delhi: The Centre may expand the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-Jay) to offer essential healthcare support for India’s senior citizens. This move aligns with the NDA’s election promise to extend coverage under the scheme to people over the age of 70.

"Every elderly person above 70 will be covered and benefit from free treatment under Ayushman Bharat Yojana," President Draupadi Murmu announced in her recent address to Parliament. ()

Two models are being considered, one model proposes covering all family members with senior citizens while the other suggests covering only the senior citizens in a family, according to the Mint newspaper. ()

The Mint newspaper reported that health benefit packages for geriatric treatment are being developed and hospitals with dedicated geriatric services will be included under PM-JAY. However, there has been no official announcement yet. Zee News could not confirm or independently verify this information at the time of writing.

The Centre is also considering increasing the number of beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Currently, this scheme is the world's largest publicly funded health insurance program which provides Rs 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care to 12 crore families.

The State Health Agencies (SHAs) are in charge of empaneling hospitals under the scheme to ensure comprehensive healthcare access across the country.

Currently, only about 20 per cent of people over 60 are covered by health schemes like the Central Government Health Scheme, Employees State Insurance Scheme, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, cooperative health insurance, employer medical reimbursement, or private insurance. This information comes from the India Ageing Report 2023.

The report shows that elderly men have slightly higher coverage (19.7 per cent) compared to women (16.9 per cent). It also indicates minimal difference in coverage between rural and urban areas. President Murmi also noted the progress in setting up 25,000 Jan Aushadi Kendras which will improve healthcare infrastructure and accessibility.