Budget 2024 updates: Ayushman Bharat cover extended to all ASHA, Anganwadi workers

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday extended Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to all ASHA and Anganwadi workers. There was no budget allocation in this regard. Last Budget, FM Sitharaman earmarked Rs 7,200 crore for FY24. A sum of Rs 88,956 crore was allocated to the Health and family welfare ministry in FY24.

AB-PMJAY is a health insurance scheme for the poor, providing up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary healthcare hospitalisation. Eligible beneficiaries of implementing states and Union Territories are entitled to cashless services.

The scheme covers over 30.6 crore poor and vulnerable families. Senior citizens and disabled persons who meet the eligibility criteria can avail of the benefits of the scheme. The scheme has successfully catered to about 6.2 crore hospital admissions amounting to more than Rs 79,157 crore till now since its launch in 2018.

The AB PM-JAY scheme is completely cashless and paperless. Beneficiaries can avail treatment under defined packages. The empanelled healthcare providers are paid based on specified health benefit packages with standardised rates.

According to the Centre, ABDM aims to enable interoperability of data within the ecosystem to create electronic health records for all citizens.

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