What is Ayushman Bharat?
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), launched in September 2018, provides cashless hospitalisation coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per year at 30,000+ empanelled government and private hospitals. PM-JAY is the world's largest government-funded health insurance scheme, covering 55 crore+ people from the bottom 40% of India's population as per the SECC 2011 database. The scheme covers 1,949 medical procedures including surgeries, chemotherapy, kidney dialysis, neonatal care, and mental health treatment — at no cost to the beneficiary. Beneficiaries can avail treatment in any empanelled hospital across any state, completely cashless, using the Ayushman Card. Senior citizens aged 70+ years now get an additional ₹5 lakh top-up cover. Over 8 crore hospitalisation cases have been covered under PM-JAY as of 2026.
Ayushman Bharat — Quick Overview
| Scheme Name | Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Yojana 2026 — ₹5 Lakh Free Health Insurance |
| Launched By | Government of India |
| Launch Year | 2018 |
| Benefit | ₹5 lakh/year cashless hospitalisation at 30,000+ hospitals (free for eligible families) |
| Category | Health |
| Last Verified | 21 June 2026 |
| Official Portal | https://pmjay.gov.in |
आयुष्मान भारत पीएम-जेएवाई योजना आर्थिक रूप से कमजोर परिवारों को माध्यमिक और तृतीयक अस्पताल भर्ती के लिए प्रति परिवार प्रति वर्ष ₹5 लाख का मुफ्त स्वास्थ्य बीमा प्रदान करती है।
₹5 लाख प्रति परिवार प्रति वर्ष मुफ्त स्वास्थ्य बीमा
Benefits of Ayushman Bharat
₹5 lakh/year cashless hospitalisation at 30,000+ hospitals (free for eligible families)
Who is Eligible for Ayushman Bharat?
- ✓Family listed in SECC 2011 (Socio-Economic Caste Census) database — rural or urban
- ✓Rural: deprivation criteria — kutcha house, no adult earner, disabled member, female-headed household, etc.
- ✓Urban: one of 11 occupational categories — rag-picker, domestic worker, street vendor, construction worker, etc.
- ✓Senior citizens aged 70+ years — eligible regardless of income or SECC status
- ✓No existing private health insurance mandatory; no income ceiling for 70+ seniors
Documents Required for Ayushman Bharat
How to Apply for Ayushman Bharat Online?
- 1Check eligibility: visit beneficiary.nha.gov.in or call PM-JAY helpline 14555 and enter your Aadhaar or mobile number
- 2If eligible, your name appears in the SECC 2011 beneficiary database — no separate application needed
- 3Visit any empanelled hospital (government or private) or nearest PM Jan Arogya Kendra with your Aadhaar card
- 4The Ayushman Mitra (hospital help desk staff) verifies your eligibility on the PM-JAY portal
- 5Ayushman Card is generated at the hospital — treatment begins immediately, completely cashless
- 6Hospital directly raises the claim with NHA — no out-of-pocket payment from the beneficiary
- 7For any issues or complaints, call 14555 or visit beneficiary.nha.gov.in to track claim status
Official Government Portal
Submit your application yourself on pmjay.gov.in; it costs nothing. Treat anyone demanding money to "get you approved" as a scam.
🔗Apply on pmjay.gov.inApply Together — Scheme Bundles
These schemes complement Ayushman Bharat. Apply for all of them together to maximise your benefits.
Health & Accident Cover Bundle
₹5 lakh health cover + ₹2 lakh accident insurance for just ₹20/year
Real-Life Examples — Are You Eligible for Ayushman Bharat?
Match your own situation against these sample Ayushman Bharat applicants:
Suresh, a 72-year-old retired teacher in Pune with a private pension and no SECC listing, looking for cashless hospital cover
Eligible — all senior citizens aged 70+ years are eligible regardless of income or SECC 2011 status under the Ayushman Vaya Vandana component
Lata, a 38-year-old domestic worker in an urban slum whose family is listed under the urban occupational category in SECC 2011
Eligible — domestic workers are one of the 11 urban occupational categories covered, and her family is on the SECC 2011 beneficiary list
Ramesh, a rural farmer living in a kutcha house with no adult earning member, family auto-included in SECC 2011 rural deprivation list
Eligible — rural deprivation criteria — kutcha house plus no adult earner — auto-include the family in the SECC 2011 PM-JAY database
Anita, a 35-year-old salaried software engineer in Bengaluru with her own private health insurance and no SECC 2011 listing
Not eligible — she is under 70, not on the SECC 2011 list, and does not fall under any rural deprivation or urban occupational category
Vikram, a 45-year-old shop owner in a pucca house whose family is not in SECC 2011 and falls under no listed urban occupational category
Not eligible — PM-JAY eligibility requires SECC 2011 inclusion or age 70+, and he meets neither rural deprivation nor any of the 11 urban worker categories
Meena, a 68-year-old widow in a non-SECC family with no rural deprivation marker and no urban worker category
Not eligible — she is below the 70-year senior citizen threshold and her family is not in the SECC 2011 beneficiary database
Every case differs — confirm your eligibility on the official portal first.
Common Mistakes — Why Ayushman Bharat Applications Get Rejected
- ✗Assuming the Ayushman Card and the ABHA card are the same — ABHA is a 14-digit digital health ID for all citizens, while the Ayushman Card is only for SECC 2011 beneficiaries or 70+ seniors who can claim the ₹5 lakh cashless cover.
- ✗Believing the ₹5 lakh cover is per individual — it is actually shared across the whole family per year, with only 70+ seniors getting a separate additional ₹5 lakh top-up under Ayushman Vaya Vandana.
- ✗Paying out of pocket at an empanelled hospital instead of insisting on cashless treatment and calling helpline 14555 when the hospital refuses to honour the Ayushman Card.
- ✗Not getting Aadhaar e-KYC done at beneficiary.nha.gov.in or the Ayushman Mitra desk — without Aadhaar verification the card cannot be generated or used.
- ✗Giving up because the family is not in the SECC 2011 list, without checking if a 70+ senior in the household qualifies separately or if state schemes like Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya cover non-SECC families.
- ✗Going to a non-empanelled hospital and then expecting reimbursement — PM-JAY only covers treatment at the 30,000+ empanelled hospitals listed on the PM-JAY portal.
Insider Tips for Ayushman Bharat
- →Check eligibility before any hospital visit at beneficiary.nha.gov.in or by calling 14555 — entering your Aadhaar or mobile number tells you instantly whether your family is on the SECC 2011 list.
- →If you have a parent or grandparent aged 70+, register them separately at beneficiary.nha.gov.in under the 'AB-PMJAY for 70+' section — they unlock an additional ₹5 lakh top-up on top of the family cover, with no income or SECC test.
- →The card is fully portable — a Bihar beneficiary can use it at an empanelled hospital in Mumbai or Chennai, so always ask the Ayushman Mitra at the destination hospital to verify your record before admission.
- →Pre-existing conditions are covered from Day 1 and 1,949 procedures including chemotherapy, dialysis and cardiac surgery are included — do not assume any of these are excluded, ask the hospital to raise the claim.
- →If an empanelled hospital refuses cashless treatment, escalate immediately: call 14555, file a grievance at beneficiary.nha.gov.in and contact your State Health Agency — empanelled hospitals are legally bound to provide cashless care under NHA rules.