BENGALURU: Now, every senior citizen who is above 70 years will be eligible for a Ayushman Vaya Vandana (AVV) Card. PM Narendra Modi last week launched the much-awaited Ayushman Bharat health insurance for senior citizens aged 70 and above.
This is an expansion of health coverage under AB PM-JAY (Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), and under this scheme, these senior citizens are eligible for free medical treatment up to R 5 lakh.
What are its benefits
Aayush Dubey, Co-Founder and Head of Research, Beshak.org, lists out following benefits:
Free hospital treatment: This card allows senior citizens aged 70+ years to access cashless hospitalisation, ensuring they receive essential medical care without the financial strain.
Universal eligibility: Regardless of income level, any senior citizen aged 70 years and above is eligible for this benefit. It’s open to all, whether from low, middle, or upper-income backgrounds.
Shared family coverage: In cases where multiple elderly individuals reside in the same household, the coverage limit of R 5 lakh can be utilised by all qualifying members.
Coverage: Ayushman Bharat scheme covers around 1,929 medical procedures, encompassing all costs related to treatment, including but not limited to drugs, supplies, physician fees, pre- and post-hospitalisation, such as diagnostics and medications, etc.
This ensures seniors receive complete and uninterrupted care during their treatment journey.
Those senior citizens who are already benefiting from other public health insurance schemes like the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), or Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have the option to either continue with their current scheme or opt for AB PM-JAY.
As of September 29, 2024, over 35 crore Ayushman cards have been created under AB PM-JAY. Beneficiaries can begin accessing treatment from the first day of enrolment and there is no waiting period for any disease or treatment.
How to enroll?
One can download Ayushman app by going to Google Play Store. Login as beneficiary, enter captcha, mobile number and do authentication, and then click to enroll senior citizens. According to National Health Authority, one can enter their Aadhaar to check if it already exists, click for new enrollment, do e-KYC, enter the mobile and Aadhaar OTP for verification, capture photo and fill all additional information, add family members of age 70 or above, after that one can download Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card.
How useful is AVV card ?
Experts say since getting personal health insurance can be challenging due to health and age -related reasons, getting this AVV card will be a significant one for seniors.
“It provides essential healthcare services to those who may lack a personal health insurance policy. For those with existing health insurance coverage, the AVV card can work as a supplementary benefit, helping cover additional expenses,” Dubey adds.
However, there are certain limitations and one should keep that in mind. According to Dubey, there are limitations including:
Restricted hospital network: Treatment with the AVV card is limited to empanelled hospitals, which may not offer the same accessibility or facilities as the broader network in personal health insurance plans.
Limited control over policy terms: Since government policies & terms may change over time, relying solely on the AVV card might not be sufficient for long-term, personalised healthcare needs.
A personal health insurance plan provides comprehensive protection that’s more customisable and stable.
The health insurance market is growing rapidly in India. Market research and consulting company Grand View Research says the market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.55% from 2023 to 2030.
The market size was valued at $12.86 billion in 2022. This cover to senior citizens will help 4.5 crore families and 6 crore senior citizens are eligible.