// Scheme sheet
- Responsible ministry / authority
- Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (National Health Authority)
- Benefit type
- Healthcare
- Coverage
- Central + state cost-share
- Who it is for — beneficiary group
- Families identified under SECC 2011, frontline workers, and all persons aged 70 and above
- What the beneficiary receives
- Health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation, cashless at empanelled hospitals. Includes pre-hospitalisation up to 3 days and post-hospitalisation up to 15 days. Covers 1,961 packages across 27 specialities.
- Eligibility
- Families in the deprivation and occupational categories of the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011, as ratified by states; frontline workers; and every person aged 70 or above irrespective of income.
- Rules, limitations & exceptions
- Covers hospitalisation, not out-patient care. Excludes cosmetic surgery, drug rehabilitation and fertility treatment. Portable across states. The card is free to obtain.
- Required documents
- Identification per state list (ration card / Aadhaar / scheme card), family ID.
- How to apply
- Check eligibility on the portal or app, then enrol at a Common Service Centre or an empanelled hospital’s Ayushman Mitra desk with Aadhaar-based e-KYC.
- Official portal
- https://pmjay.gov.in/
- Helpline / contact
- 14555
- Last verified
- 13 Sep 2026
The national health-assurance scheme for hospital care, run by the National Health Authority. It is not an insurance policy a household buys into: there is no premium, no enrolment fee and no waiting period, and pre-existing conditions are covered from the first day. The scheme has issued more than 45 crore Ayushman cards and reported about 12.7 crore hospital admissions worth over ₹1.9 lakh crore. Since 2024 it has also covered all persons aged 70 and above, regardless of income, through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card.