Ayushman Bharat: Eligibility Criteria, Documents Required; All Seniors Need To Know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, providing free medical treatment to senior citizens aged 70 or above, regardless of their economic status. The scheme is expected to assist 6 crore senior persons from 4.5 crore families, offering up to Rs 5 lakh per family. If a family has multiple eligible senior citizens, the Rs 5 lakh coverage will be shared among them, ensuring coverage is per family basis.

This scheme provides free medical treatment to senior citizens aged 70 or above, regardless of their economic status, up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh, with a distinct Ayushman card issued to eligible individuals.

Eligibility

The AB PMJAY Senior Citizen Scheme requires Aadhaar-based e-KYC for enrolment and issuance of Ayushman cards for eligible senior citizens. The eligibility criteria is that the individual must be aged 70 years or above, as determined by their Aadhaar card, regardless of economic status. The National Health Authority website provides important FAQs about eligibility criteria and required documents. All eligible senior citizens aged 70 and above will receive a distinct Ayushman card. The three main documents Aadhar Card, Parivar Pehchan Patra and ration card are required for ID proof, Status and income proof along with residential proof which can be any utility bill.

Provisions

The AB PMJAY Senior Citizen Scheme allows beneficiaries to receive treatment immediately from the first day of enrollment, with no waiting period for any disease or treatment. Parents who choose the scheme and surrender their existing government health insurance cannot switch back to their previous scheme. The Ayushman Bharat Senior Citizen Scheme can be applied online through the beneficiary.nha.gov.in website and the Ayushman App for Android. Separate enrollments are not needed for both parents over 70 years old. After enrolling the first family member aged 70 or above, other family members aged 70 or above can be added under the scheme using the "Add Member" feature on the enrolment portal.