Under Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya scheme, Cabinet clears Rs 5 lakh additional health coverage top-up for citizens above 70 years old: 10 things to know

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved health coverage for all citizens aged 70 years and above under the government's Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya scheme. Every citizen over 70 years of age will receive health coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh, applicable to all segments of society, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The scheme will provide an extended cover for those falling in the said age bracket, as announced by PM Modi in April.

Here are 10 things to know about this significant announcement:

• The move is estimated to provide health insurance covers of Rs 5 lakh each to about 4.5 crore families including six crore senior citizens, according to an official statement. 
• Under the scheme, eligible senior citizens will be provided with new distinct cards under the Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Ayogya scheme.
• Simply put, under the scheme, senior citizens aged 70 years and above and belonging to families already covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme will get an additional top-up cover of up to Rs 5 lakh a year for themselves.
• The senior citizens, 70 years and above, will not have to share this benefit with the other members of the family.
• Will every senior citizen above 70 years in a family be covered? Yes, all senior citizens aged 70 years and above will get a cover up to Rs 5 lakh per year on a family basis.
• Senior citizens aged 70 years and above already availing benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) or Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) may either choose their existing scheme or opt for AB PMJAY. 
• "Senior citizens of 70 years and above who are under private health insurance policies or Employees’ State Insurance scheme will be eligible to avail benefits under AB PM-JAY," the statement added. 
• All members of the eligible families irrespective of age are covered under the scheme. The scheme has covered 7.37 crore hospital admissions including 49 percent women beneficiaries. The public has benefited to the extent of over Rs 1 lakh crore under the scheme.
• What is AB PM-JAY? It is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme providing health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 55 crore individuals corresponding to 12.34 crore families.
• The AB PM JAn Ayogya scheme has witnessed continuous expansion of the beneficiary base. Initially, 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families comprising the bottom 40 per cent of the country's population were covered under the scheme. Later, the government revised the beneficiary base from 10.74 crore to 12 crore families.