Prime Minister Modi will launch a program for the elderly on October 29 | Latest India News

According to people familiar with the matter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-Pmjay) for senior citizens on October 29.

Last month, the Union Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister, approved a major expansion of the world’s largest public health insurance scheme, which offers cashless cover up to ₹5 lakh per year for hospitalization of all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status.

“An important event is scheduled for October 29 where several important health projects will be launched or announced, including Pmjay for senior citizens, recently approved by the Cabinet,” said a senior central government official, requesting anonymity.

The Center will finance 60% of the program. States can expand or modify the program to include other age groups, and some states have already done so by incurring costs for additional beneficiaries.

According to the Union health ministry, around 45 million families (60 million senior citizens) are likely to benefit from this decision. The overall beneficiary base currently stands at 123 million families. This program is expected to help women even more as according to government data, 58% of people over the age of 70 in India are women and 54% of them are widows.

For families already covered by Ayushman Bharat who have senior citizens, additional common recharge cover of up to ₹5 lakh per annum under the scheme. However, middle- and upper-class families who are not covered by the program due to their socio-economic status will benefit from joint insurance ₹5 lakh per year if they have senior citizens.

Additional top-up coverage for ₹5 lakh will be allocated only to senior citizens from already covered families.

To receive benefits, eligible seniors will need to submit an application; however, beneficiaries who are already covered by government or state health insurance schemes such as CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) will have the opportunity to choose the scheme they wish to avail. According to a government statement, people with private insurance will also be able to board.

Under the scheme, a new card will be issued to eligible beneficiaries. The initial cost of modernization is ₹3,437 crore and given that it is a demand-based scheme, there is scope for the coverage to be expanded in the future.