The Ayushman Bharat is a flagship health scheme of the Government of India, launched on September 23, 2018, to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), as envisioned in the National Health Policy, 2017. Its primary purpose was to reduce the catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure for poor and vulnerable families.
The scheme is structured around two main, inter-related components: first, the creation of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs), which were formerly known as Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), to provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC). Second, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), which is the world's largest publicly funded health assurance scheme. PM-JAY provides a health cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. Eligibility for PM-JAY is primarily determined by the deprivation and occupational criteria of the Socio-Economic Caste Census, 2011 (SECC-2011). The mechanism ensures cashless and paperless access to services at empanelled public and private hospitals across the country.
The scheme is implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA), which was restructured as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on January 2, 2019. Beyond the two core components, the scheme connects to the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which aims to create an integrated digital health infrastructure.
A significant recent change occurred on September 11, 2024, when the Union Cabinet approved the expansion of PM-JAY to cover all senior citizens aged 70 and above, irrespective of their income. This expansion was introduced through the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana. Furthermore, the Health Benefit Packages (HBP) have been periodically revised, with the Health Benefit Package, 2022, adding 365 new procedures. The scheme replaced the earlier Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY).