PM-JAY: Free Health Coverage for Senior Citizens Over 70 Years

• The Union government has extended the coverage of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to senior citizens over 70 years, providing a modest level of free health coverage.
• The scheme is limited to secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation, which is not sufficient for outpatient care, diagnostics, and medicines.
• The lack of coverage for chronic diseases, which have increased sharply in India, is concerning as people over 70 may often suffer from multiple chronic diseases.
• The scheme’s penetration into smaller cities and towns has been low since its launch in 2018.
• The need for robust primary and secondary public health care is highlighted, as it will reduce the load on tertiary healthcare and the need for curative care.
• The PM-JAY scheme has been criticized for focusing on insurance-based schemes, leading to surging healthcare costs.
• Two-thirds of the total money spent each year under the PM-JAY scheme went to private hospitals since its launch.
• Weakened primary and secondary health care could lead to an overload in tertiary healthcare, which private players could exploit.