Health and Me

Rachel V Thomas

India Plans To Roll Out Universal Health Insurance By 2033, Says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

India Plans To Roll Out Universal Health Insurance By 2033, Says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced in the Parliament that India is planning to launch universal health coverage for all by 2033.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, the Finance Minister stated that health insurance has become a priority area for the government, and informed that the sector has made significant progress, covering 58 crore lives in 2024–25, news agency PTI reported.

“Health insurance is a priority for this government. In fact, we are hoping that by 2033 we will have insurance cover for all,” Sitharaman said. 

The FM added that the total health premium collections in the country reached Rs 1,17,505 crore in 2024–25. The health premiums under 

<ul><li>Public sector insurers accounted -- INR 42,420 crore</li><li>Private insurers contributed INR 37,752 crore </li><li>Standalone health insurers INR 37,331 crore</li></ul>

“Health insurance is now a clear priority with GST exemption on individual premiums, expansion of coverage, and strong regulatory push driving the momentum,” she said. 

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance scheme, launched in 2018, provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. It provides secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to about 12 crore families, representing the bottom 40 per cent of the population.

The scheme was further expanded to cover 6 crore senior citizens of age 70 years and above, belonging to 4.5 crore families, irrespective of their socio-economic status.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, stated in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that 

<ul><li>43.52 crore Ayushman cards created</li><li>1.14 crore Ayushman Vay Vandana cards created for senior citizens</li><li>36,229 hospitals empaneled under AB-PMJAY -- 19,483 are public, and 16,746 are private hospitals</li></ul>

Further, the latest national master of Health Benefit Package provides cashless healthcare services for 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties. 

“A total of 11.69 crore hospital admissions amounting to Rs. 1.73 lakh crore have been authorized under the scheme,” Jadhav said.

He added that more than 86 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) have been created, and more than 90 Crore health records have been linked to patients’ ABHA. 

In addition, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was launched in India in September 2021 to support the development of an integrated and citizen-centric national digital health ecosystem.

Till March 11, the progress made under ABDM includes:

<ul><li>86,64,46,563 - ABHA created for citizens </li><li>90,70,14,529 - Health records linked to the patient’s ABHA </li><li>2,56,542 - Facilities using ABDM-enabled software.</li></ul>

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced in the Parliament that India is planning to launch universal health coverage for all by 2033. Addressing the Rajya Sabha, the Finance Minister stated that health insurance has become a priority area for the government, and informed that the sector has made significant progress, covering 58 crore lives in 2024–25, news agency PTI reported. “Health insurance is a priority for this government. In fact, we are hoping that by 2033 we will have insurance cover for all,” Sitharaman said. Growing Insurance MarketThe FM added that the total health premium collections in the country reached Rs 1,17,505 crore in 2024–25. The health premiums under Public sector insurers accounted -- INR 42,420 crorePrivate insurers contributed INR 37,752 crore Standalone health insurers INR 37,331 crore “Health insurance is now a clear priority with GST exemption on individual premiums, expansion of coverage, and strong regulatory push driving the momentum,” she said. Health Insurance Under AB-PMJAY Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance scheme, launched in 2018, provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. It provides secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to about 12 crore families, representing the bottom 40 per cent of the population.  The scheme was further expanded to cover 6 crore senior citizens of age 70 years and above, belonging to 4.5 crore families, irrespective of their socio-economic status. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, stated in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that till February 28: 43.52 crore Ayushman cards created1.14 crore Ayushman Vay Vandana cards created for senior citizens36,229 hospitals empaneled under AB-PMJAY -- 19,483 are public, and 16,746 are private hospitals Further, the latest national master of Health Benefit Package provides cashless healthcare services for 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties.  “A total of 11.69 crore hospital admissions amounting to Rs. 1.73 lakh crore have been authorized under the scheme,” Jadhav said. He added that more than 86 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) have been created, and more than 90 Crore health records have been linked to patients’ ABHA. In addition, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) was launched in India in September 2021 to support the development of an integrated and citizen-centric national digital health ecosystem. Till March 11, the progress made under ABDM includes:86,64,46,563 - ABHA created for citizens 90,70,14,529 - Health records linked to the patient’s ABHA 2,56,542 - Facilities using ABDM-enabled software.