Ayushman Bharat: ₹5L Free Health Cover
Ayushman Bharat PMJAY gives Indian families up to ₹5 lakh in free health insurance every year for hospitalisation. West Bengal is now joining the scheme, and all senior citizens above 70 are automatically eligible nationwide. If your family qualifies, you could avoid paying huge hospital bills out of your own pocket.
A single hospitalisation in a private hospital in India costs ₹50,000–₹2 lakh on average — wiping out nearly 3–6 months of a median Indian household's savings. Ayushman Bharat's ₹5 lakh cover could fully protect against that shock, completely free.
If your family qualifies for Ayushman Bharat, you could save up to ₹5 lakh per year in hospitalisation costs — money that stays in your savings account instead of going to hospital bills.
Key Takeaways
Check your eligibility right now at pmjay.gov.in using your mobile number or ration card — it takes under 2 minutes and costs nothing to verify.
If you have a parent or grandparent aged 70 or above, enroll them immediately under the senior citizen category — they qualify regardless of income or existing insurance.
Even if you are already covered under a private health plan, do NOT skip Ayushman Bharat — you can use it as a backup for catastrophic hospitalisation costs that exceed your private policy limits.
Medical emergencies are one of the biggest reasons Indian middle-class families fall into debt. A serious illness, surgery, or even a week-long hospital stay can cost ₹1–3 lakh at a private facility — and most households do not have that money sitting idle. That is exactly the gap Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) was designed to fill.
The scheme provides cashless health insurance of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year, covering hospitalisation at any empanelled government or private hospital. With West Bengal now rejoining the programme, millions more families across the country can access this benefit. Importantly, all senior citizens aged 70 years and above are eligible nationwide — regardless of whether they belong to a below-poverty-line household or already hold a private health insurance policy.
Here is how to check if your family qualifies. Visit the official PMJAY website or call the helpline at 14555. Enter your mobile number or ration card details to instantly find out if your name appears on the beneficiary list. If you are eligible, you will be issued an Ayushman card — your gateway to cashless treatment at over 29,000 empanelled hospitals across India.
For those not covered under PMJAY — particularly salaried professionals above the income threshold — a separate private health insurance plan remains essential. Aim for at least ₹10 lakh in coverage for a family of four. You can use GoCredit to compare health insurance and loan options if a medical emergency has already strained your finances.
Pro tip: Even if you have employer-provided health insurance, enroll eligible family members under Ayushman Bharat as a zero-cost safety net. Stacking both covers means you are doubly protected — and your savings stay intact when it matters most.
Compare Health Insurance Plans
Open GoCredit App →