Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched the ambitious Ayushman Bharat or Prime Minister’s Jan Arogya Yojana from Ranchi. He called it the world’s largest healthcare scheme and a “game changer initiative” for the poor. The scheme, however, has invited a lot of debate. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, on Friday, questioned the government’s ability to offer respite in the area of healthcare through its Ayushman Bharat scheme.
The centrally sponsored scheme aims to provide coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually. The Centre and states will share the expenditure in the ratio of 60:40.
Although, 25 states have signed up for the scheme, five states have decided to opt out. Telangana, Odisha, Kerala, Punjab and Delhi have said they will not sign the MoU till their concerns are addressed and that they have better health schemes.
The eligibility criteria for Ayushman Bharat is based on the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC). According to SECC 2011, there are 24.49 crore households in the country. Out of these, all those who fulfill any one of the following parameters are excluded from the scheme.
Motorised 2/3/4 wheeler/fishing boat
Mechanised 3-4 wheeler agricultural equipment
Kisan credit card with credit limit of over Rs 50,000/-
Household member government employee
Households with non-agricultural enterprises registered with government
Any member of household earning more than Rs 10,000 per month
Paying income tax
Paying professional tax
3 or more rooms with pucca walls and roof
Owns a refrigerator
Owns landline phone
Owns more than 2.5 acres of irrigated land with one irrigation equipment
Five acres or more of irrigated land for two or more crop season
Owning at least 7.5 acres of land or more with at least one irrigation equipment
Telangana/Andhra Pradesh
States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh already have Aarogyasri, an active health scheme running for more than 10 years now. This scheme differs from Ayushman Bharat majorly in terms of the eligibility criteria. Telangana has said that the scheme will cover only 80 lakh people, while its own Aarogyasri scheme benefits 70 per cent of the population.
Anybody who has Annapurna Card or an AAY ration card, can benefit from Aarogyasri scheme. Unlike Ayushman Bharat, Aarogyasri does not differentiate between rural and urban population.
Odisha
Like Telangana, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that his state’s Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana is better as it covers more people. He also said that his scheme provides Rs 7 lakh to women as opposed to the Rs 5 lakh by the central program. PM Modi, at a gathering in Odisha, had accused CM Patnaik of ignoring a program for the benefit of his state.
Kerala
Kerala’s Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has been particularly critical of the feasibility of the scheme raising questions on its effective implementation. “The subsidy ceiling for the current RSBY scheme of Rs 30,000 benefit is Rs 1,250. The subsidy for the Ayushman scheme, with benefits of Rs 5 lakh, is Rs 1,110. Is it possible to have such a jump in benefits for lower premium?” he asked in a tweet.
Punjab
Congress led Punjab government also cited some reservations regarding the implementation of the scheme. Punjab’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra had written to the Centre saying it will sign the memorandum of understanding to operationalise the scheme only after it gets clarity on the flow of finances.
Delhi
While Delhi does not have an existing health scheme, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has expressed dissatisfaction and alleged that the central scheme covers only six lakh out of 50 lakh families in Delhi.
Amit Sengupta, global coordinator of People’s Health Movement, has raised questions on the flawed model and funds allocation to the scheme. Unless the issues are resolved, Ayushman Bharat might not get a warm welcome everywhere and the states will continue with their own schemes.
