On 11 September 2024, the Union Cabinet approved health coverage for all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of income, under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme. The move will benefit approximately 4.5 Crore families, with six crore senior citizens and Rs. 5 Lakh rupees of free health insurance covered on a family basis.

“Our senior citizens will be extended universal health coverage under the Ayushman Bharat scheme is today’s big decision taken in the Union Cabinet. There is humanitarian thinking behind this decision, and there was a commitment made by the PM which has been fulfilled today,” said Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while briefing on the cabinet decisions.

According to the official government release, “With this approval, all senior citizens of the age 70 years and above irrespective of their socio- economic status would be eligible to avail the benefits of AB PM-JAY. The eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under AB PM-JAY. The senior citizens of the age 70 years and above belonging to families already covered under AB PM-JAY will get an additional top-up cover upto ₹5 lakh per year for themselves (which they do not have to share with the other members of the family who are below the age of 70 years). All other senior citizens of the age 70 years and above will get a cover upto ₹5 lakh per year on a family basis.”

“The additional top-up coverage of up to ₹5 lakh will be allocated only for the senior citizens in the already covered families. The meaning of shared cover is that it will be shared between the senior citizens,” explained Vaishnaw.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government is committed to ensuring accessible, affordable, top-quality health care. He posted on X, "We are committed to ensuring accessible, affordable and top quality healthcare for every Indian. In this context, the Cabinet today has decided to further expand the ambit of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY to provide health coverage for all citizens above 70 years." He added that the scheme would ensure dignity, care, and security for 60 million citizens.

According to the government, AB PM-JAY is the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, which provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 55 crore individuals, corresponding to 12.34 crore families. The scheme has covered 7.37 Crore hospital admissions, including 49 percent of women beneficiaries. The public has benefited to over Rs. 1 Lakh crore under the scheme.