The National Health Authority (NHA) officially celebrated the eighth anniversary of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), highlighting its role in expanding healthcare security across India. Announcing the operational milestones in New Delhi, NHA leadership revealed that the flagship public health insurance initiative has successfully delivered medical treatment to over 13 crore patients, providing financial coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family to more than 12 crore low-income households. The comprehensive digital platform managed by the NHA has streamlined beneficiary authentication, hospital admissions, and claims processing across a network of over 38,000 empanelled public and private hospitals nationwide. Officials emphasized that expanding digital health cards to over 48 crore citizens strengthens universal health coverage while significantly reducing out-of-pocket medical expenditure for vulnerable populations. Public health experts and hospital administrators commended the platform's technological integration, observing that seamless claims settlement and infrastructure expansion continue to serve as a vital financial safety net for specialized treatments across regional healthcare centers.

Nationwide Expansion Delivers Cashless Secondary and Tertiary Healthcare

Marking eight years since its national launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ranchi, Jharkhand, in September 2018, the National Health Authority (NHA) celebrated the 8th anniversary of Ayushman Bharat. The flagship health assurance scheme has evolved into the world's largest publicly funded healthcare program, expanding its safety net to cover over 60 crore individuals across 12 crore vulnerable and low-income families. Speaking at the anniversary proceedings in New Delhi, NHA CEO Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal emphasized the role of robust IT infrastructure in delivering seamless, paperless, and cashless medical access across empanelled facilities.

Overview: Eight-Year Operational Cumulative Benchmarks of AB PM-JAY

Scheme Metric / PillarCumulative Achievements (2018–2026)
Total Beneficiary CoverageOver 60 Crore Individuals (~12 Crore Families)
Annual Financial Protection₹5 Lakh Per Family Per Year for secondary & tertiary care
Ayushman Cards CreatedOver 48.54 Crore Cards issued nationwide
Hospital Admissions Authorized13.25+ Crore Admissions funded free of cost
Total Healthcare ExpenditureOver ₹2.03 Lakh Crore saved in out-of-pocket medical debt
Empanelled Hospital Network38,000+ Public & Private Hospitals across 36 States/UTs
Primary Care Touchpoints1.87+ Lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (500+ crore visits)

Digital Health Architecture and Universal Senior Citizen Coverage

Highlighting the structural impact of the program, Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted in a official address that the initiative has provided unprecedented financial security to poor and middle-class households. Alongside PM-JAY's hospital coverage, the broader Ayushman Bharat framework has strengthened primary healthcare via more than 1.87 lakh functional Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, which have collectively recorded over 500 crore patient visits.

The NHA also showcased recent policy expansions, including the decision to extend ₹5 lakh top-up health cover to all senior citizens aged 70 and above regardless of income, as well as integrating over 37 lakh families of ASHA and Anganwadi workers into the central database.

Tech Innovations to Power AB PM-JAY 2.0

Looking toward the next decade, the National Health Authority announced plans for "AB PM-JAY 2.0"—a technological overhaul designed to streamline claim settlements and enhance fraud detection. By utilizing automated AI risk-scoring models, the NHA aims to reduce hospital claim reimbursement cycles below the current 15-to-30-day mandate.

Simultaneously, deeper integration with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) will link Ayushman Cards to individual Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA), enabling universal portability of diagnostic records across empanelled hospitals nationwide.