Ayushman Bharat Yojana Every year, lakhs of families in the country get trapped in the quagmire of debt due to medical expenses. For such people, increasing insurance coverage under the Ayushman Bharat scheme can prove to be a boon. Also, if the government makes a provision for separate coverage for the elderly, then lakhs of families will get relief.
Government think tank NITI Aayog released a report in October 2021, ‘Health Insurance for India’s Missing Middle’. It claimed that about 30 percent or 42 crore population of the country does not have any health insurance. This means that if these people get any disease, then a large part of their earnings is spent on treatment.
The government also knows very well that every year lakhs of families in the country become poor due to unaccounted expenditure on treatment. This is the reason why it is increasing the focus on Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had increased the allocation for Ayushman Bharat in the interim budget.
At the same time, President Draupadi Murmu said in her address to the joint meeting of Parliament on June 27 that now all the elderly above the age of 70 years will be covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and they will also get the benefit of free treatment. However, there is still a lot of scope to improve Ayushman Bharat and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman can also announce it in the budget.
How will ‘Ayushman Bharat’ be better?
The cost of treatment is getting expensive day by day. In such a situation, the annual insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat seems very less. If it is increased, then the beneficiaries of the scheme can get a lot of relief. The government has also indicated in the past that it is seriously considering increasing the insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat to Rs 10 lakh. In such a situation, it may be announced in the budget.
Benefits of increasing insurance coverage
The government wants to double the number of beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PJAY). If the insurance amount is doubled, it will be very easy for the government to achieve its target. This will cost an additional Rs 12,076 crore per year from the government treasury. Experts believe that increasing the scope of Ayushman Yojana will save millions of families from getting trapped in the quagmire of debt.
What will be special for the elderly?
After what President Draupadi Murmu said in her address during the joint session of Parliament, it is certain that the government will cover all the elderly above 70 years of age under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. This can increase the number of beneficiaries to about four to five crores. In almost all the families of the country, the elderly are often undergoing treatment. In such a situation, giving them insurance coverage will provide relief to millions of families.
Will the elderly get concessions?
The government is certainly considering increasing the insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat. But, still a lot of money is spent in the treatment of diseases like organ transplant and cancer. Also, most of the elderly are victims of serious diseases, for which even a coverage of Rs 10 lakh may fall short. In such a situation, it is expected that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman can announce separate insurance coverage for the elderly in the budget.
