Ayushman Bharat Yojana – A Beneficiary Level Study

Abstract

Ayushman Bharat Yojana, a nationwide public health insurance initiative administered by the Indian government, aims to provide free health insurance coverage to low-income individuals in the country. It is also referred to as PMJAY or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Launched on September 23, 2018, this program is designed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their underlying commitment. Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, approximately 100 million impoverished and vulnerable families in India will be covered, offering up to Rs. 5lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalizations. Additionally, the initiative proposes the establishment of 150,000 health and wellness centers nationwide, providing comprehensive primary healthcare services. Both public and privately affiliated medical facilities are eligible to offer healthcare services to beneficiaries of the insurance program. This program stands as one of the largest publicly funded health insurance initiatives globally. This paper is based on a combination of primary and secondary data sources. Primary data was collected from selected respondents in the study village of Parakuchi in the Kamrup Rural District of Assam. Secondary data was obtained from various online reports and articles. Among the 80 sample respondents, 38 individuals have already received their Ayushman Bharat cards, while 42 are still awaiting theirs. However, none of the respondents have utilized their cards yet, as they have recently received them and do not currently experience any major health issues.