Central government has started facility to apply online for Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card & download it through online mode. Under this expanded Ayushman Bharat Yojana, all senior citizens of the age 70 years and above irrespective of their socio-economic status would now be eligible for free treatment worth Rs. 5 lakh. To get cashless treatment, Ayushman Vay Vandana Card would be issued to each elderly beneficiary. This card would be issued under Ayushman Bharat Vaya Vandana Yojana which shall be downloaded & printed easily by the beneficiary itself.
To get treatment under Ayushman Bharat – PM Jan Arogya Yojana, senior citizens can go to any empanelled hospital located nearby them or even in any other state. Read this article till the end to know how to apply for a new Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card and then download it from Ayushman Bharat – PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) beneficiary portal.
The Ayushman Bharat scheme expands healthcare coverage, ensuring essential treatments are accessible. With easy enrollment and comprehensive benefits, union govt. is empowering elders for a healthier future. The salient features of new Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card to be issued under expanded AB-PMJAY Scheme are as follows:-
Treatment for all pre-existing health conditions will be covered from day one.
6 crore senior citizens to benefit from expanded AB-PMJAY scheme namely Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana.
Private health insurance holders can avail the benefits of Ayushman Bharat – PM Jan Arogya Yojana.
Access Rs. 5 lakh of free healthcare coverage every year under this scheme at over 30,000 hospitals across the country.
The Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card provides an annual health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family, specifically for members aged 70 years or older.
If multiple elderly individuals reside in the same household, the cover will be shared among them.
Beneficiaries must make Ayushman Vay Vandana Card Registration through the PM-JAY portal (https://beneficiary.nha.gov.in/) or the Ayushman app or by calling helpline number 14555.
Even if the beneficiaries already hold an Ayushman card, they must complete the mandatory eKYC process to activate the new card.
The cost of this expansion will be Rs. 3,437 crore, covering the scheme’s rollout for the current fiscal year and the next.
Experts say that providing health insurance for all citizens above 70 is more expensive than covering the poorest 40% of the population across all age groups, but the government views it as essential given India’s aging population.
Eligibility Criteria to Apply for Ayushman Vay Vandana Card
70+ Senior Citizens of all income groups can now avail the benefit of Rs. 5 Lakh Free Treatment in all empaneled hospitals. Call 14555 to know more about “Ayushman Vay Vandana Card” for senior citizens. Ayushman Vay Vandana Card Eligibility
PM Modi on Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card
On Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card, PM Modi said “Now, every senior citizen above the age of 70 will receive free treatment in hospitals. These senior citizens will be issued the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card. This scheme is expected to be a milestone. If an elderly person in the household has the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card, family expenses will be reduced, and their worries will also diminish”. PM Modi on Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card
The initiative of providing Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card aims to provide dignified healthcare access to elderly citizens, many of whom have struggled with costly medical treatment. “This card ensures that elderly people no longer need to live with the anxiety of high healthcare expenses. They can now live with swabhimaan,” said the Prime Minister during the launch event. PM Modi emphasized that the scheme has already benefited 4 crore individuals, and the inclusion of senior citizens will further solidify the government’s commitment to universal health coverage.
Some other important personalities like Union MoS in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare says, “PM Modi brought in this scheme after thinking very carefully…there are so many poor people who fall severely sick after the age of 70…they would need lakhs of rupees for treatment but they wouldn’t be having that much money…so old people never used to go for treatment…PM Modi couldn’t see this suffering so he brought in this scheme where anyone who is above 70 years old gets sick, they can avail free treatment from big hospitals using this card”.
Need for Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card
The expanded AB-PMJAY scheme comes at a crucial time, as India’s population ages rapidly. According to the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), only 8.6% of the population was over 60 years old during the 2011 census. However, this figure is expected to rise to 19.5% by 2050, representing approximately 319 million elderly citizens—three times the 103 million recorded in 2011.
The Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card is designed to address the healthcare needs of this growing demographic, marking the first time any specific age group has received comprehensive health coverage in India.
The new Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana scheme will cover nearly 6 crore individuals from 4.5 crore families. Of these, 1.78 crore beneficiaries are already enrolled under the original Ayushman Bharat scheme. Additionally, 80 lakh individuals are covered by existing government health programs, such as the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).
Beneficiaries of these schemes can choose whether to continue with their current coverage or switch to Ayushman Bharat. In a unique feature, individuals insured under the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) will be eligible for both ESIC and Ayushman Bharat coverage, as their premiums are funded by employers and employees rather than the government. Those with private health insurance can also avail of the Ayushman Bharat coverage, providing them with an additional health safety net.
