Older, But Wiser? The enrolment of senior citizens aged 70 and above, irrespective of income, under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) will begin in a week's time, govt sources have confirmed.
Older, But Wiser?
Ayushman coverage for elderlies is great. But the health scheme has many existing problems.
By expanding coverage under Ayushman Bharat to all Indians aged 70 and above, BJP has kept the promise it made before Lok Sabha elections. Providing an insurance cover of ₹5 lakh per family every year, the move is expected to benefit an additional 6 crore senior citizens from 4.5 crore families. With this, ground has been laid for universal health coverage of this vulnerable section of our population. Significantly, while India’s 60-plus population is estimated to grow from 8.6% in 2011 to 19.5% by 2050, just 20% of this age group enjoys health coverage today. The government has set aside ₹3,437 crore for the initiative. But experts say its financial implications could be larger given the health vulnerabilities of the elderly.
Unsatisfactory delivery Besides, there is the all-important issue of implementation. For, Ayushman has faced a host of problems that need ironing out if it is to meet its goal of reducing out-of-pocket health expenditure. A CAG report last year highlighted that the scheme is riddled with corruption. Empanelled hospitals in many states were found flouting prescribed standards, impacting the quality of their services. Most important, there aren’t enough empanelled entities to meet the needs of our population. For instance, a state like Bihar has just 1.8 empanelled hospitals per lakh population. Private hospitals in many states have curtailed services given payment delays on account of insufficient fund allocations by governments. Also, the scheme doesn’t cover outpatient care, though a study has found that 40-80% of health expenditure in India is on OPD services. Hopefully, income-neutral eligibility will put more pressure on authorities to address these lacunae, ensuring that service delivery lives up to the objective of the scheme.
ReplyForward
Ayushman coverage for elderlies is great. But the health scheme has many existing problems.
By expanding coverage under Ayushman Bharat to all Indians aged 70 and above, BJP has kept the promise it made before Lok Sabha elections. Providing an insurance cover of ₹5 lakh per family every year, the move is expected to benefit an additional 6 crore senior citizens from 4.5 crore families. With this, ground has been laid for universal health coverage of this vulnerable section of our population. Significantly, while India’s 60-plus population is estimated to grow from 8.6% in 2011 to 19.5% by 2050, just 20% of this age group enjoys health coverage today. The government has set aside ₹3,437 crore for the initiative. But experts say its financial implications could be larger given the health vulnerabilities of the elderly.
Unsatisfactory delivery Besides, there is the all-important issue of implementation. For, Ayushman has faced a host of problems that need ironing out if it is to meet its goal of reducing out-of-pocket health expenditure. A CAG report last year highlighted that the scheme is riddled with corruption. Empanelled hospitals in many states were found flouting prescribed standards, impacting the quality of their services. Most important, there aren’t enough empanelled entities to meet the needs of our population. For instance, a state like Bihar has just 1.8 empanelled hospitals per lakh population. Private hospitals in many states have curtailed services given payment delays on account of insufficient fund allocations by governments. Also, the scheme doesn’t cover outpatient care, though a study has found that 40-80% of health expenditure in India is on OPD services. Hopefully, income-neutral eligibility will put more pressure on authorities to address these lacunae, ensuring that service delivery lives up to the objective of the scheme.
ReplyForward |
The Union Cabinet approved expanding free insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per year under the health scheme for all senior citizens aged 70 and more.
New Delhi: The process to include all senior citizens, aged 70 and above, to the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) will be made operational in a week, the Union ministry of health and family welfare announced on Thursday.
The announcement came a day after the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime minister Narendra Modi approved a major expansion of free insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per year under the Centre-run health scheme to include all senior citizens aged 70 and above.
“The scheme should be operational within a week. Initially there will be a pilot launch to sort out any issues that may arise. It is an application-based scheme, (and) people will need to register on the portal,” the health ministry said in a statement. “Facility of face authentication (is) available on the portal, which will have a designated link for senior citizens 70+ aged.”
Anyone aged 70 or above as per their Aadhaar card can apply for the scheme, which is set to benefit around 45 million families, including 60 million senior citizens.
“There will be an awareness campaign on all media platforms not only through IEC (Information, Education & Communication) but also through field level workers and other community level participation. There is no waiting period, no cooling off period. Once eKYC is done, card will be operational for use immediately,” the statement added.
The Centre will continue to fund 60% of the scheme as its share, while each state will have a choice to expand the scheme or modify it to include other age groups. Some states have already expanded the beneficiary base beyond the socio-economic caste census data, providing the premium for additional beneficiaries.
NEW DELHI: The enrolment of senior citizens aged 70 and above, irrespective of income, under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) will begin in a week's time, govt sources have confirmed.
Initially, the sources said, enrolment will be carried
out on a pilot basis in selected locations and then it will be expanded across
the country.
"The eligible senior citizens, including those
covered currently under AB-PMJAY, must apply for the scheme. It can be done
either through Ayushman mobile application or the PMJAY portal," said a
govt source.
Aadhaar card will be needed for verifying age and other
details of the intended beneficiaries, the source added.
There is no waiting period, no cooling off period.
Eligible beneficiaries can avail the benefits - free health insurance cover
worth Rs 5 lakh annually on a family basis immediately after the registration
and eKYC, officials said.
At present, AB-PMJAY, which caters mainly to the poor and
vulnerable families, has around 25 health packages catering to the needs of
elderly. Govt sources said the National Health Authority (NHA), which is the
implementing agency for AB-PMJAY, is working towards adding more packages that
exclusively tend to geriatric care or old-age related ailments.
The annual premium per beneficiary under AB-PMJAY is Rs
1,102 currently, including Rs 50 administrative charges. Of this, 60% is paid
by the Centre while the rest 40% is paid by the states.
A senior health ministry official said that govt is
considering an increase in the premium amount paid by the Centre, based on the
recommendations of a Niti Aayog committee headed by Dr V K Paul.
On Wednesday, the Union cabinet under the chairmanship of
PM Modi approved the expansion of AB-PMJAY to include senior citizens aged 70
and above and sanctioned an initial outlay of Rs 3,437 crore to fund the
additional financial needs.
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