Free ₹5 Lakh Health Cover for Anyone Above 70: How to Register Your Parents Online for the New Senior Citizen Ayushman Card

Happy days for those families who have senior parents. As announced by the Government of India, the Ayushman Bharat healthcare program now includes all citizens above the age of 70 years irrespective of their economic status. Senior citizens above this age can avail themselves of free healthcare services worth up to ₹5 lakh per year using the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card, which is especially designed for senior citizens. 

In other words, even if you don’t come under the economically weaker sections, just because of being senior citizens, you will get the benefits from this scheme.

What Is the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card?

Ayushman Vay Vandana Card is the health card being provided to citizens above the age of 70 through the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). This card allows individuals to avail themselves of cashless hospitalisation and treatment services from approved hospitals around India.

The health cover being offered through this plan goes up to ₹5 lakh per annum, providing much-needed relief from costly health expenses incurred by elderly individuals. According to recent reports, pre-existing diseases have also been included in the coverage since the first day of the programme’s launch.

Who Is Eligible?

The most important modification in the modified system is that any Indian citizen who is more than 70 years old will be eligible irrespective of his/her economic, social, and professional position.

It should be noted that this is a breakthrough because earlier the eligibility was based largely on socio-economic criteria.

If your parents are more than 70 years old and hold an Aadhaar card, then you can register them.

How to Register Your Parents Online

The government has made the process easy for citizens to do so via its online portals. First, install the Ayushman App or log on to the beneficiary portal run by the National Health Authority. Self-registration for senior citizens is possible via Aadhaar verification.

During registration, applicants are generally required to:

• Enter Aadhaar details and verify identity through OTP authentication.
• Confirm age and personal information.
• Complete the beneficiary verification process.
• Submit the application digitally and wait for approval.

Once verification is completed, the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card can be downloaded electronically. 

Alternative Registration Methods

All elderly individuals may not be able to use their phones or access portals.

To address this concern, the government has made various modes of registration available. The beneficiary can either pay a visit to empanelled hospitals or any other designated health centre for help. They can even contact the Ayushman helpline for support.

This has been done to facilitate the elderly by overcoming any digital hurdle.

What Medical Treatments Are Covered?

This applies to an extensive list of secondary and tertiary health care treatments. This plan will aid in covering the cost incurred from admission into a hospital as a result of diseases such as heart ailments, cancer care, kidney problems, stroke treatments, orthopaedics, and surgeries, among others. Treatment will be done on a cashless basis in hospitals.

Why This Matters for Families

The cost of healthcare services increases tremendously after age 70. It is difficult for most older persons to afford health insurance because of factors like age limitations, waiting period, and costly premiums. One advantage of the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card program is that it provides subsidised health insurance that does not have any income criteria.

The program could ease the financial burden on the family of an elderly person seeking health care in hospitals.

Documents Usually Required

Despite differences in requirements according to the channel of registration, Aadhaar continues to serve as the most important verification tool.

Moreover, candidates may be required to furnish certain identification information alongside their age eligibility.

How to Check Application Status

Beneficiaries can monitor their application status through the Beneficiary Portal or the Ayushman App after registration.

Upon approval, the virtual card is available for download and usage at authorised hospitals nationwide.

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Conclusion

Ayushman Vay Vandana Card is perhaps one of the largest expansions in healthcare facilities available to senior citizens in recent times. Under this card, each citizen above 70 years receives free health cover of up to ₹5 lakhs annually. This will hopefully bring much-needed financial security and healthcare facilities to the senior citizens in India.

For those who have parents above 70 years of age, ensuring their registration well in time can prove to be crucial for them.

If your parents are 70 years old or above, then you can get them registered for free health coverage under the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card, which can provide cover of ₹5 lakhs annually without any regard to income level.