Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, last year, conveyed a significant message to all residents of Maharashtra regarding a new health insurance scheme similar to the Mahatma Phule Health scheme. Preparations for this initiative have begun, and white ration card holders will now also benefit from both the Mahatma Phule and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Orders have been issued to link white ration cards to Aadhaar cards. To facilitate this, all District Supply Officers, Food Grains Distribution Officers, and Deputy Controllers of Ration Distribution have been instructed to link the ration cards with Aadhaar.
In a government decision made by the Public Health Department in 2019, it was decided to combine the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana and the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana within the state. This decision was amended in 2023 to extend the benefits of the Arogya Bima Yojana to white ration card holder families.
The ration card must be attached to the Aadhaar number to generate an Ayushman card, which allows families to receive benefits under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana. Orders have been issued to link white ration cards with Aadhaar numbers (Aadhaar Seeding).
Under this health scheme, free treatment up to five lakhs will be provided to all citizens affiliated with the scheme. This includes treatment in both government and private hospitals, covering cities as well as semi-urban areas.
Key Benefits of Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY):
Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY):- Provides health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.- Offers cashless and paperless access to services at the point of service in empaneled hospitals.- Covers a wide range of medical treatments, including surgery, medical and day-care treatments, cost of medicines, and diagnostics.- Targets beneficiaries identified by the latest Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data, covering the bottom 40% of the Indian population.- Jointly funded by the central and state governments, with a 60:40 ratio for most states.
Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY):- Provides end-to-end cashless healthcare services for identified serious illnesses requiring hospitalization.- Offers a maximum health insurance coverage of ₹1.5 lakh per beneficiary family.- Covers treatment for COVID-19.- Beneficiaries include citizens of Maharashtra, with eligibility based on ration card and other KYC documents.- Fully funded by the Government of Maharashtra.
Both schemes aim to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to economically disadvantaged sections of the population in India. The integration of MJPJAY and AB-PMJAY in Maharashtra has further expanded the reach and benefits for beneficiaries in the state.