Government starts work on expanding Ayushman Bharat scheme

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₹7,500 crore for the scheme, a more than 10% increase over the amount spent in the just- concluded financial year. The scheme in its current form gives beneficiaries an insurance coverage of ₹5 lakh person per year on a means-tested basis – to qualify, the individual's annual income must not exceed ₹2.4 lakh. Expanding the coverage of the scheme to include everyone above 70 years of age by removing the income cap could cost the exchequer an additional ₹15,000 crore– ₹20,000 crore a year as per preliminary estimates, said one of the persons quoted above.

While the figure for the over-70 population was not immediately available, as per the UN state of world population report of 2023, 7% of India’s over 1.4 billion people are aged 65 years or above. Although the BJP has thus far steered clear of announcing populist measures in its manifesto and stuck to the path of fiscal prudence, improving access to quality healthcare, especially for the middle class, is a key element of the party’s welfare agenda. AB-PMJAY, rolled out in 2018, is the largest health assurance scheme in the world.

It seeks to provide a health cover of ₹5 lakh a year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 120 million poor families – or the 550 million individuals who make up the bottom 40% of the Indian population. Surgeries such as knee replacements, hip replacements, and congenital heart diseases are in demand under the scheme. The Union health ministry is also planning to expand the scope of the scheme, covering more expensive cancer and transplant-related surgeries and treatments.