A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended increasing the insurance coverage under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh per family, citing the rising cost of critical medical treatments and the growing financial burden on patients. The proposal forms part of the committee’s 172nd Report, which seeks to strengthen India’s flagship public health insurance programme and improve financial protection for beneficiaries.

According to the committee, the existing ₹5-lakh coverage is no longer sufficient to meet the expenses associated with complex and high-cost procedures such as organ transplants, advanced cardiac surgeries, cancer immunotherapy, and other specialised treatments. Despite being covered under the scheme, many beneficiaries continue to incur substantial out-of-pocket expenditure, highlighting the need for enhanced financial support.

The panel observed that increasing the insurance limit would enable more families to access advanced medical care without facing severe financial hardship. It also emphasised that strengthening the scheme would improve health equity, reduce catastrophic healthcare spending, and expand access to quality treatment across both public and empanelled private hospitals. The recommendation aligns with the government’s broader objective of advancing universal health coverage and ensuring affordable healthcare for vulnerable populations.

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Introduced in 2018, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY provides cashless secondary and tertiary healthcare services to eligible beneficiaries through a nationwide network of empanelled hospitals. Over the years, the scheme has emerged as one of the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance programmes, supporting millions of hospital admissions and significantly improving healthcare accessibility across India.

While the recommendation has not yet been approved by the government, healthcare experts believe that raising the insurance cover would better reflect current treatment costs and further strengthen India’s public healthcare ecosystem. If implemented, the proposal could substantially enhance financial security for millions of families requiring specialised and life-saving medical care.

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