Health

Parliamentary Panel Proposes Doubling Ayushman Bharat Cover to Rs 10 Lakh per Family

By TestNeeti Editorial TeamPublished Thursday, 9 July 2026 2 min readSource: eHealth MagazineArticle 15 of 20

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended doubling the insurance cover under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per family, citing the rising cost of critical medical treatments and the growing financial burden on patients. The proposal forms part of the committee's 172nd Report. The panel noted that the existing Rs 5-lakh cover is no longer sufficient for high-cost procedures such as organ transplants, advanced cardiac surgeries and cancer immunotherapy, leaving many beneficiaries with substantial out-of-pocket spending. It said raising the limit would improve health equity, reduce catastrophic healthcare spending and advance universal health coverage. The recommendation has not yet been approved by the government.

Key Facts & Details

9 points

1
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare recommended raising the AB-PMJAY cover from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per family.
2
The proposal is part of the committee's 172nd Report.
3
The panel cited rising costs of complex procedures like organ transplants, advanced cardiac surgeries and cancer immunotherapy.
4
It noted that the existing Rs 5-lakh cover leaves many beneficiaries facing substantial out-of-pocket expenditure.
5
The committee said the higher limit would improve health equity, cut catastrophic healthcare spending and support universal health coverage.
6
The recommendation has not yet been approved by the government.

Deep Dive

+
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, introduced in 2018, provides cashless secondary and tertiary care through a network of empanelled public and private hospitals.
+
The scheme is among the world's largest publicly funded health insurance programmes, supporting millions of hospital admissions.
+
Healthcare experts say a higher cover would better reflect current treatment costs and strengthen financial protection for vulnerable families.

Exam Focus

What increase in AB-PMJAY cover did the parliamentary panel propose, and in which numbered report was the recommendation made?

Exam Relevance & Angle

Proposals to expand the flagship health-insurance scheme with a clear before-and-after figure are strong health and government-scheme GA hooks. The Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh jump, the AB-PMJAY name and the 172nd Report are the exact facts examiners test.

Target Exams

SBI POSBI ClerkIBPS POIBPS ClerkSSC CGLRRB NTPCUPSC CSEState PCS

Background & Context

Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), launched in 2018, is India's flagship publicly funded health-insurance scheme. It provides eligible poor and vulnerable families with cashless secondary and tertiary hospital care of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year through a nationwide network of empanelled public and private hospitals. It is one of the largest such programmes in the world and is central to the government's goal of universal health coverage. Parliamentary Standing Committees, comprising members from both Houses, examine ministries' policies and spending and issue reports with recommendations; while these are advisory and not binding, they carry significant weight in shaping policy.