Around 36 crore beneficiaries have been verified under AB PM-JAY

New Delhi: As of November 30, 2024, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has validated about 36 crore beneficiaries. This was said by Prataprao Jadhav, the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, in a written response submitted to the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Additionally, the program has approved 8.39 crore hospital admissions totaling more than Rs 1.16 lakh crore. Beneficiaries have seen a considerable reduction in hospitalization-related out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE).

The government’s flagship program, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), offers health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to roughly 55 crore beneficiaries, or 12.37 crore families, who make up the economically disadvantaged bottom 40% of India’s population.

The number of people covered by government-funded health insurance has increased to almost 18 crore households as a result of many states and union territories combining their state health insurance plans with AB PM-JAY.

37 lakh ASHA, Anganwadi Worker, and Anganwadi Helper households were added to the program in March 2024. Additionally, from October 29, 2024, the government extended AB PM-JAY to provide all elderly adults 70 years of age and above, regardless of socioeconomic background, free treatment benefits of up to Rs 5 lakh annually. Six crore people are enrolled in the system, and there are an estimated 4.5 crore beneficiary households nationwide who are 70 years of age or older.