Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), also known as PM Jan Arogya Yojana, is a flagship social welfare scheme of the Government of India.
It aims to provide cashless secondary and tertiary care treatments at empanelled public and private hospitals. This initiative offers health coverage to over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families across the country.
The National Health Authority (NHA) oversees the implementation of PMJAY, ensuring that economically disadvantaged families have access to free healthcare. The scheme is part of a broader effort to improve public health insurance in India, focusing on those with low income.
Benefits of Ayushman Bharat PMJAY
PMJAY is designed to benefit the bottom 50% of the population, offering up to Rs. 5 lakhs in health coverage per family each year. Launched in September 2018, the Ayushman Bharat Card enables beneficiaries to access healthcare facilities without any financial burden.
Under this scheme, beneficiaries receive an e-card that allows them to avail of cashless services at empanelled hospitals nationwide.
The coverage includes three days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days of post-hospitalization expenses, ensuring comprehensive care. Approximately 1,400 medical procedures are covered, including costs related to surgeries, hospital stays, and medications.
Eligibility Criteria for PMJAY
To qualify for PMJAY, households must meet specific criteria:
- No adult male member aged 16-59 years
- Families living in a single room with makeshift walls and roofs
- Households with no healthy adult members or those with differently-abled members
- Landless families relying primarily on manual labor for income
- Manual scavenger families
Eligible families are provided health coverage of Rs. 5 lakhs per year for both secondary and tertiary care, entirely free of cost.
Key Features of PMJAY
PMJAY is recognized as the world’s largest government-funded health insurance scheme. It offers:
- Annual health coverage of Rs. 5 lakhs per family for secondary and tertiary care
- Cashless healthcare services at empanelled public and private hospitals
- Coverage for over 10.74 crore eligible families, roughly translating to 50 crore beneficiaries
- No limitations on family size, age, or gender
- Coverage from day one for all pre-existing conditions
- Benefits that are portable across India, allowing treatment at any empanelled hospital
- Approximately 1,393 procedures covered, including diagnostics, surgeries, and ICU charges
- Reimbursement for public hospitals at par with private ones
Ayushman Bharat PMJAY Registration Process
To determine eligibility for PMJAY, beneficiaries identified by the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 or those under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) can check their status through the PMJAY portal. By entering a mobile number and verifying with an OTP, users can confirm if their family is covered.
Eligible individuals can generate a PMJAY e-card by verifying their Aadhaar or ration card at a PMJAY kiosk. This e-card, along with a unique AB-PMJAY ID, serves as proof of eligibility and can be used to access healthcare services at any empanelled hospital in the future.