Launched on September 23, 2018, AB-PMJAY provides cashless hospitalisation cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care. The scheme is the financial protection component of the broader Ayushman Bharat programme.
According to government data, more than 48.51 crore Ayushman cards had been created as of September 21. As of August 31, the scheme had funded 13.25 crore hospital admissions worth ₹2.03 lakh crore through more than 38,000 empanelled public and private hospitals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X marking eight years of Ayushman Bharat, said more than 60 crore beneficiaries now have access to the ₹5 lakh annual health cover. He also said the scheme had enabled savings on medical expenses.
The government said the programme is aimed at reducing the financial burden of hospitalisation for eligible families by providing cashless treatment at empanelled hospitals, rather than requiring beneficiaries to pay the full cost upfront.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda separately said more than 60 crore people were covered under AB-PMJAY and that more than 13 crore people had availed treatment under the scheme.
The broader Ayushman Bharat programme also includes Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, which focus on primary healthcare. Modi said these centres had recorded more than 500 crore visits.
Ayushman Bharat also includes the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, alongside AB-PMJAY.
For households, the ₹5 lakh annual cover is relevant primarily as a protection against large hospitalisation expenses. The scheme, however, is not a general health-insurance policy available to every household; eligibility under AB-PMJAY is based on the government’s prescribed beneficiary criteria.
-With PTI inputs
First Published: Sept 23, 2026 11:55 AM IST