Unified Identity Cards To Be Issued For All Health Care Schemes

This Wednesday, the centre announced the plan of a unified card that could compile the benefits of both health schemes run by the central government, such as Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY and state-run schemes. This decision was merely taken to avoid any confusion about different cards among the citizens. 

There are around 20 schemes available for health care operated in different states. Once a unified card is provided to each citizen, they could easily avail the benefits without keeping different cards or papers to justify the health scheme. 

The union health minister shared detailed information in his statement, “What we have essentially done is co-branding, whereby beneficiaries can make use of treatment packages under central and state-run health insurance schemes using just one card. Different states have their own health insurance schemes, and there was a lot of confusion among beneficiaries regarding empanelled hospitals, implementation support agencies, insurance companies, and third-party administrators. Now there will be a common name, ‘Ayushman Cards’.”

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As a part of this new adaptation, the beneficiaries would be provided coverage on their health issues in more than 25,000 hospitals that are empanelled with the central scheme of the government. Most of the states have agreed to join this proposal issued by the gov. However, some states like Delhi, West Bengal and Odisha have refused to join.