Ayushman Bharat Golden Card- Stride to Cashless Treatment

Ayushman Bharat Yojana, also recognized as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), is a well-thought initiative taken by our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Aiming to focus on helping the economically weak people of the country, this scheme has been brought into existence. In addition to this, a card with the name Ayushman Bharat Golden Card has also been launched under this scheme. The motive behind launching this card is to serve and help the indigent people in attaining healthcare facilities and healthcare insurance coverage for free. 

Merits of Having Health Insurance

• The major advantage of having health insurance coverage is that you can easily avail of any medical treatment without having any burden about the financial expenses.
• Furthermore, numerous people in India end up taking several loans and debts in the name of medical emergencies or any other health issues. 
• People often end up paying burdensome expenses to the hospitals. 
• Hence, the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card liberates you from paying such huge medical expenses and allows you to avail yourself of the benefits free of cost.

Introduction to Ayushman Bharat Golden Card

• The health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Yojana was launched on September 23, 2018. This yojana has been introduced with the motive of providing health insurance coverage to 50 crore citizens of the country.
• Additionally, as per the reports collected, it was seen that nearly 18,059 hospitals had been empanelled, more than 4,406,461 lakh beneficiaries have been admitted to the empanelled hospitals, and nearly ten crore Ayushman Bharat Golden Cards have been issued to people belonging to the backward class of the country.
• The Ayushman Bharat Golden Card is a card that is issued under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to the economically weak people for enabling cashless healthcare treatment for the people living with reduced circumstances. 
• The objective of this scheme is to make the facilities and treatments of secondary and tertiary healthcare as cashless treatments to the beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card
• Under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the beneficiaries will be provided with an Ayushman Bharat Golden Card, which will be used to avail of the services and medical treatment at the empanelled hospitals.

The Idea behind Introducing Golden Card

• In today’s time, having and acquiring health insurance has become a financial necessity for everyone. Attaining health insurance enables people to get financial assistance for any health-related problem, unknown and hidden medical issues, accidental injury, or any other related problem.
• But, sadly, people belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category either do not buy or are not able to afford to buy the health insurance coverage for numerous reasons.
• Therefore, to ensure providing health benefits coverage to the indigent people of the nation, the government formulated the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
• Additionally, with the issuance of the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card, the poor people of the backward cities and states would be equally eligible to avail of the medical facilities as well as the expensive treatments from the hospitals that are covered under this scheme. 

The Objective of Ayushman Bharat Yojana

• The Ayushman Bharat Yojana has been launched to provide health benefits and financial security to people living with reduced circumstances. 
• The major strategy behind initiating this scheme is to extricate the economically weak people from the highly expensive medical treatments and other expenses related to any medical emergency. 
• This yojana grants a special card to its beneficiaries, and it is called the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card. Through this card,
• Additionally, this yojana has been announced to cover ten crore deprived families. 
• Also, the families covered under this scheme are covered irrespective of their age and the size of the family (i.e. the members in a family). 
• This yojana has a lot of benefits attached to it, out of which the major benefit is the coverage of 5 lakh per family. 
• Furthermore, except for this benefit, the Ayushman Bharat Yojana also provides a few more additional benefits. 

Ayushman Bharat Golden Card

• This is a card that is issued to people who are living under reduced circumstances are not able to secure health insurance coverage for themselves.
• With the rapidly changing time and harsh situations that the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic has created for the people globally, having health insurance coverage acts as the need of the hour.
• Due to the medical crisis this pandemic has caused in the world, and every person has been forced to live with a fear of health issues and getting infected with the virus in his/her heart. 
• Therefore, attaining health insurance is a compulsion for people living in the rural and remote areas of India. 
• With the intention of providing a medical coverage shield to the people who either do not have or have extremely little access to the medical facilities and treatments, Ayushman Bharat Golden Card is issued to make them able to reach out to the empanelled hospitals and also take the treatments without facing hurdles in between.

Coverage under the Yojana

The Ayushman Bharat Yojana (National Health Protection Scheme) includes the following:-

Besides these medical expenses, nearly 1,400 expensive treatments like- skull surgery, knee replacement, etc. are also included under the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card.

A Brief Analysis of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana

This scheme provides health insurance coverage to the poor class people and mainly to the lower-middle-income class people. 

This scheme has been segregated into two tranches. These two tranches are as stated below:-

1- First Tranche: The target of the ten crore families has been divided into two parts. In addition to which the first tranche consists of 8 crore families of the rural areas. 

2- The Second Tranche: Out of the ten crore families, the remaining 2.33 crore families of urban areas will be covered in the second tranche of this yojana.

The Ayushman Bharat Yojana has chosen a strategy to select its beneficiaries in the rural and urban areas. 

Let us now learn about the health coverage provided under this scheme in both the rural as well as the urban areas.

Health Insurance Coverage in the Rural Areas

Listed below are the eligible beneficiaries who will be benefitted under this yojana:-

• Families with a physically challenged member 
• Families with no male member aged between 16-59 years
• The landless households who earn a livelihood by working as casual labourers 
• People living in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households
• Families living in one-room houses

Health Insurance Coverage in the Urban Areas

Listed below are the eligible beneficiaries:-

• Rag Pickers
• Drivers, rickshaw pullers, helpers, conductors
• Domestic help
• Sweepers, Cleaners, Electricians
• Security guards
• Masons, plumbers, welders, painters

Benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card

Issued under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card has the following benefits:- 

• With the help of this card, the major hospital expenses will be covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. 
• Families who will be issued with this card would be eligible to avail of the cashless treatment.
• Highly expensive medical surgeries or operations will also be covered under this card.
• This card allows the beneficiaries to avail themselves of the coverage for the treatment. 
• This health insurance coverage is provided in both public as well as private hospitals that are covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

Additional Information

Here is a list of people who are not eligible to avail of the benefits that are assured under the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card.

• People who own a vehicle (two, three, or four-wheelers)
• People who have Kisan Cards with a credit limit of ₹50,000
• People with government jobs
• People who own a Fishing Vessel
• People with a monthly earning above ₹10,000
• People living in well-built houses

Application Process for the Card

To acquire the cashless treatment facility under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, you are required to acquire the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card. 

Given underneath are the steps to apply for the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card:- 

Citizens, who meet the eligibility criteria to avail of the benefits of this yojana, are required to fill an online application using the official website- https://mera.pmjay.gov.in/search/login.

Given below is the image of the home page of the official website.

How to Apply for Ayushman Bharat Golden Card?

• Visit the official website https://mera.pmjay.gov.in/search/login.
• Once you reach the homepage, click on the “Login” option.
• Now, fill in your mobile number and the displayed captcha code.
• An OTP will be sent to your registered mobile number. 
• Use that OTP to login. 
• You are now required to opt for the HHD code.
• Provide this code top with the Common Service Center (CSC).
• The CSC will check the HHD code along with the other details. 
• The remaining process will be completed by the CSC representatives. 
• To obtain the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card, you need to pay a fee of ₹30. 
• This is the complete process to attain the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card.

Requisite Documents for the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card

Below mentioned is a list of all the documents required to apply for the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card:-

• Aadhaar card/Ration card/ Voter ID card
• Attested copy of the Income Certificate
• Attested copy of the BPL card
• Passport size photographs
• Attested copy of the Caste Certificate

Conclusion

Introduced by the government of India, Ayushman Bharat Yojana is a well-structured scheme formed to cater medical health insurance coverage to families belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Below Poverty line (BPL) category. 

Additionally, this scheme is also supported by granting an e-card, i.e. the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card, to the disadvantaged people living in the country’s rural and urban areas. Supported by the Prime Minister, this scheme is implemented to grant cashless healthcare to low-income families and help them acquire medical treatments from empanelled hospitals. 

Health insurance coverage of ₹5 lakh per family will be provided to the beneficiaries. In addition to this, the Ayushman Bharat Golden Card will also be provided to the family members. Moreover, only with attaining this card, the beneficiaries will be considered liable to avail of the health insurance benefits. 

Aatmnirbhar Sena is an independent organization working as a supportive pillar to promote and create awareness about several schemes and yojanas launched by the government. We never step back from arranging camps and programs to cheer the children, youth, men, and women of our country and make them aware of the schemes launched for their benefits. The only vision of Aatmnirbhar Sena is to make the weak and needy people strong and self-reliant.