Ayushman Card: How to Apply Online & Offline. Ayushman Bharat Scheme, also known as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), is a flagship health scheme of the government of India, aimed at providing free health services to poor families. The “Ayushman Bharat card” under this scheme provides free and cashless treatment facility to the holder in government and accredited private hospitals. In this article, we will understand in detail every piece of information related to the Ayushman Bharat Card, such as its importance, eligibility, benefits, application process and required documents.
How to Make Ayushman Card?: How to Apply Online & Offline
Government of India launched Ayushman Bharat Yojana in 2018. It aims to extend the access of health services to the poor and vulnerable sections of the country. Under this scheme, all family members are given health insurance cover up to Rs 5 lakh so that they do not face financial problems to treat serious illnesses. The scheme is specially designed with poor families in rural and urban areas in mind.
What is Ayushman Bharat card?
Ayushman Bharat card is an identity card given to the beneficiaries of the scheme, also called golden card. This card provides cashless treatment facility to eligible persons under the scheme. By showing this card, the patient can get free treatment in government and private hospitals, ranging from hospitalization to surgery, medicines, and post-operative care.
Benefits of Ayushman Bharat card
The Ayushman Bharat card has many benefits; some of the major ones are as follows:
- Maximum sum assured: an insurance amount of up to Rs. 5 lakh per annum has been earmarked for every family, which covers many types of treatment and health services.
- Cashless treatment: through this card, the beneficiary gets cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. This means that the patient is not required to incur any costs from hospitalization to completion of treatment.
- Treatment in government and private hospitals: this scheme is applicable not only in government hospitals but also in listed private hospitals. This provides better health services for patients.
- Insurance with no family number limit: The Ayushman Bharat scheme has no limit on the number of family members. This means that all family members can avail of this insurance scheme.
- Treatment of serious diseases: this scheme also includes treatment of cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, and other serious diseases.
- Pre- and post-hospitalization care: this scheme also includes pre- and post-hospitalization medical care, which includes the expense of Doctor’s advice, checks and medicines.
- Portability: this card can be treated at any Ayushman Bharat-linked hospital across the country.
What is the new change in Ayushman Bharat 2024?
The Indian government has recently announced that all senior citizens who are 70 years of age and older, regardless of their socioeconomic status, will be eligible to receive the benefits of AB PM-JAY. Eligible senior citizens will be issued a new unique card under AB PM-JAY. Senior citizens aged 70 years and above from families already covered under AB PM-JAY will get additional top-up facilities of up to ₹5 lakh per year for them.
- Eligible senior citizens will be provided with a new, special card under the AB PM-JAY scheme.
- Senior citizens aged 70 years and above who already fall under the AB PM-JAY scheme will get an additional top-up facility of up to ₹25 lakh per year.
Senior citizens aged 70 years and above who are already availing another public health insurance plan can either keep their existing plan or switch to AB PM-JAY.
Eligibility for Ayushman Bharat card
Eligibility for this scheme is mainly based on social, economic and caste census (SECC) 2011. Different norms are fixed in rural and urban areas.
Eligibility for rural areas
Health cover under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) in rural areas is available to the following people:
- Families with physically handicapped members with no able-bodied adults
- Families living in raw houses
- A family in which no able-bodied adult is between 16 and 59 years old
- Landless families that depend on daily wages
- Primitive tribal communities and SC / ST families
- People and beggars dependent on alms
- Legally free bonded labourer
- Families living in temporary houses whose house does not have proper walls or ceilings
Eligibility for urban areas:
Ayushman Bharat Yojana is particularly beneficial for the families of workers included in the socio-economic caste census of 2011. Moreover, all families registered in the National Health Insurance Scheme can avail this scheme.
- Cobblers, laborers, domestic workers
- Rickshaw drivers, construction workers
- Cleaning staff
- Garbage pickers
- Repairman, painter, welder, security guard
- Domestic helpers and cleaners
- Dhobi and watchman
- Handicrafts, tailors and craftsmen working from home
- Roadside workers
- Construction workers, masons, porters, drivers and conductors
- Not eligible for health cover under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana:
- People whose monthly income exceeds Rs 10,000
- Owners of two, three or four-wheel-drive vehicles or motorized fishing boats
- Government employees or people employed in government-managed non-agricultural enterprises
- People with mechanized farming equipment
- Those who have a Kisan card with a credit limit of Rs 50,000
- Owners of pucca houses
- Fridge and landline phone owners
- Those who own 5 acres or more of agricultural land.
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Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)
| Name of the scheme | Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) or Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) |
| Type of project | Health insurance |
| starters | Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi |
| Ministry | Ministry of Health and Family Welfare |
| Start date | 23 September 2018 |
| Ayushman cards issued so far | 35, 34, 83, 923 (as on 15th August 2024) |
| Hospitalizations so far | 7,19,42,295 (as on 15th August 2024) |
| Total number of families registered | more than ten crores |
| Budget | ₹8,088 crore (US$1.0 billion) (2021–22) |
| Situation | Active |
| Website | https://www.pmjay.gov.in/ |
| Helpline Number | 14477 or 1800-11-4477 |
| Official Address | National Health Authority, 3rd, 7th & 9th Floor, Tower-L, Jeevan Bharti Building, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001 |
How to apply?
Applying for Ayushman Bharat card is quite simple. This can be done both online and offline. Here the application process is explained in detail:
Online application process
- Visit the official website: first of all, the official website of Ayushman Bharat Yojana (https://pmjay.gov.in).
- Check eligibility: check eligibility through your mobile number or ration card number on the website.
- Apply: if you are eligible, you will get instructions to contact the nearest CSC (common service centre).
- Contact CSC: go to the nearest CSC and submit the required documents and register for Ayushman Bharat card.
Required documents:
- Aadhaar card: biometric verification will be required
- Ration card
- Mobile number
- Age certificate (birth certificate, school certificate, etc.) (optional).
Offline application process:
If you cannot apply online, you can contact Ayushman Mitra by visiting the nearest government hospital or listed private hospital. He will check your eligibility and help you in the registration process.
How do I download the Ayushman Bharat card?
To download the digital copy of the Ayushman card, you need to visit https://beneficiary.nha.gov.in, which is a very simple process. Visit Log in as beneficial here and verify your mobile number and log in. Then anyone who wants to download Ayushman Bharat card, verify their Aadhaar number and you will get a list of family members. Download the PDF from the given list. Keep in mind that your Aadhaar and family members should be linked to the mobile.
What diseases are covered under Ayushman Bharat scheme?
More than 1,500 procedures and diseases are covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. These prominently include:
- Heart diseases (bypass surgery, angioplasty)
- Cancer (surgery, chemotherapy)
- Kidney disease (dialysis, kidney transplant)
- Neurosurgery
- Bone disease
- Health problems associated with women (caesarean delivery, uterine surgery)
How do you know if you are eligible?
To know your eligibility, you can contact the official website of Ayushman Bharat Yojana or helpline number 14555. Apart from this, you can also check eligibility by visiting the nearest government hospital or CSC.
Conclusion
Ayushman Bharat scheme is proving to be a boon for poor and economically weaker families. The Ayushman Bharat card provided under this scheme helps them in the treatment of serious illnesses, so that the huge expenditure on health services does not become a hindrance for their families. The main objective of this scheme is to ensure that every citizen of the country can get better and more accessible health services, regardless of their economic situation.
If you or your family are eligible for this scheme, register immediately and avail this scheme. Ayushman Bharat card is an important tool to protect the health of you and your family.
