Ayushman Bharat Card — Eligibility, How to Apply, and Benefits in Maharashtra

₹5 lakh free health insurance per family per year — and most people who qualify don't even have the card. The Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme covers hospitalization, surgeries, ICU stays, and specialist treatment at government and empanelled private hospitals completely free of cost. If your family is eligible, getting this card could save lakhs of rupees in a medical emergency.

Who Is Eligible?

Eligibility is based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC 2011) data — you don't apply by stating your income, the government already has a list. In rural areas, eligible families include those with no adult male member between 16-59 years, SC/ST households, landless laborers, families in kutcha houses, and those with a disabled member. In urban areas, it covers construction workers, street vendors, domestic workers, sanitation workers, rickshaw pullers, and similar occupations. All senior citizens aged 70 years and above are now also eligible regardless of income.

How to Check If You Are Eligible

• Go to beneficiary.nha.gov.in on your phone
• Click 'Beneficiary' and log in with your mobile number and OTP
• Select scheme as 'PMJAY' and choose Maharashtra as your state
• Enter your Aadhaar number to check if your family is in the beneficiary list
• You can also check at any Common Service Centre (CSC) or Aaple Sarkar Kendra near you
• Empanelled hospitals can also verify your eligibility on the spot

How to Get the Card

If the portal shows you're eligible, click 'Apply Now' and complete Aadhaar OTP authentication. Your card is generated digitally and can be downloaded immediately as a PDF. Physical cards can be collected from Common Service Centres or from empanelled hospitals. The entire process is completely free — if anyone charges you money to get an Ayushman card, they are scamming you.

What Does It Cover?

• Up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for all hospitalization costs
• Pre and post-hospitalization expenses (up to 15 days after discharge)
• Surgery costs, ICU charges, specialist consultation, medicines during hospital stay
• Over 1,500 treatment packages — including cancer treatment, heart surgery, kidney dialysis
• Applicable at any PMJAY-empanelled hospital — government and many private hospitals
• No restriction on family size — entire family covered under the ₹5 lakh limit

Maharashtra Also Has Its Own Scheme

Maharashtra runs the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY) alongside PM-JAY, which covers additional conditions and a wider population than the national scheme alone. District government hospitals in Sangli, Kolhapur, Nashik, Pune, Nagpur, and all other Maharashtra districts are empanelled. If you're unsure about eligibility, walk into any government hospital and ask the help desk — they can verify on the spot and help initiate treatment under the scheme.