Which committee has recommended Rs 10 lakh?
The recommendation was made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in its 172nd report. The committee has clearly stated in its report that the current cover of Rs 5 lakh is inadequate for many life-threatening treatments in view of the technological advancement and rising cost of medical treatment. The committee has also suggested that separate packages be created for high-cost and complex processes.
Why Rs 5 lakh?
According to the committee, medical inflation is growing at a rate of 12-15% annually in India, which is much higher than the general inflation. In such a situation, some treatments have become so expensive that the limit of Rs 5 lakh ends very soon. In its report, the committee noted:
The organ transplant Surgery such as a liver or kidney transplant
complex heart surgeries. open heart surgery and other heart-related complex treatments
Cancer Immunotherapy Advanced Oncology and Targeted Therapy
Prolonged ICU Care Long-term admission to the ICU in severe cases
What do people over the age of 70 get?
There is another important thing to be noted here. From October 29, 2024, the central government has started the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana. Under this, every citizen of 70 years and above, irrespective of their income, is given an additional cover of Rs 5 lakh. That is, if a family is already a beneficiary of Ayushman Yojana and has 70 + members, then that family can get a total cover of Rs 10 lakh (5 lakh base + 5 lakh senior top-up). But this top-up is only for 70 + members, the rest of the family cannot use it.
What's the present situation? (As of July 2026)
The official limit under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY is Rs 5 lakh per family per year till July 2026 across the country. The proposal of Rs 10 lakh is still the recommendation of the parliamentary committee, but the government has not yet approved it.
However, some states are providing additional cover from their side. For example:
In Gujarat, the state government has provided a cover of up to Rs 10 lakh from its own fund.
In Rajasthan, a cover of up to Rs 25 lakh is available under the Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Yojana.
In Maharashtra, there is an additional cover of up to Rs 10 lakh under MJPJAY.
In Andhra Pradesh, up to Rs 25 lakh is received under NTR Vaidya Seva.
Important things to know about Ayushman Bharat Yojana
Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is the world's largest government health insurance scheme. Launched on September 23, 2018, the scheme provides cashless treatment to more than 12 crore families (about 55 crore people). Till January 31, 2026, more than 43 crore Ayushman cards have been issued under this scheme and 11.46 crore hospital admissions have been approved, on which about Rs 1.69 lakh crore has been spent.
Will increasing the insurance cover eliminate all the problems?
One thing needs to be observed here. Just increasing the cover does not end all the problems. Package rates will also be increased. Experts say that the package rates fixed for diseases under Ayushman Bharat have not been updated in line with the rising prices of medical devices, implants and consumables. As a result, hospitals incur losses and sometimes patients have to pay from their own pocket.
Besides, delay in payment to private hospitals is another major problem. As many as 650 private hospitals in Haryana had stopped taking patients under the Ayushman Yojana due to pending dues of around Rs 490 crore. The government has also asked hospitals to expedite payments in this recommendation.
Conclusion
The proposal to increase the limit of Ayushman card to Rs 10 lakh is currently a recommendation of a parliamentary committee, not a rule implemented by the government. The recommendation is the need of the hour in view of rising medical inflation and expensive treatments, but the final decision has to be taken by the central government. Until a formal announcement is made by the government, only Rs 5 lakh cover will be valid under the Ayushman Yojana.
If you or someone in your family is above 70 years of age, then you can take an additional cover of Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Vaya Vandana. To check your eligibility, visit beneficiary. nha. gov. in or call the toll-free number 14555. Until the government takes a decision on this proposal, the scheme will continue as before. This is Timesbull. I first found you on .com.