The central government has planned to extend the Ayushman Bharat health cover to 40 crore more people for a nominal premium amount.At present, more than 50 crore people are already a part of AB-PMJAY (Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana).

The Ayushman Bharat Yojana is likely to expand coverage to 40 crore more individuals who are not a part of any government or private health insurance schemes. Although the scheme offers free annual health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to prime beneficiaries, it will be available at an affordable premium to those who cannot avail benefits of health insurance at the retail price.

Currently, more than 30% of the population is devoid of any health insurance plan due to the coverage loopholes in PMJAY. With this extension, the government plans to reduce the health insurance premium by more than a third of the retail price and make it affordable for such people.

Moreover, the National Health Authority (NHA), which is the governing body for AB-PMJAY, is planning to launch a pilot project in selected states in the coming months. Later, the coverage will be extended across India.

Under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the beneficiaries can access all premium health facilities in the government and private sectors without any income limit. Also, the private wards of the government hospitals will be available for the treatment of people under this scheme.