The Indian government has decided to include all senior citizens aged 70 and above under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPM-JAY), regardless of their income or socio-economic status. This was announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a Cabinet meeting.

The expansion will benefit about 6 crore senior citizens across 4.5 crore families. Each family will receive health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh per year. 

Senior citizens in this age group will get a special card for accessing the scheme's benefits. Additionally, those already covered under ABPM-JAY will receive an extra Rs 5 lakh top-up, exclusively for those above 70, which won't need to be shared with younger family members.

Senior citizens benefiting from other public schemes like CGHS, ECHS, or Ayushman CAPF can either stick with their current scheme or switch to ABPM-JAY. Even those covered under private insurance or the Employees State Insurance Scheme (ESIC) can avail of this benefit.

ABPM-JAY, the largest publicly funded health insurance program in the world, already covers 55 crore people and has supported over 7.37 crore hospital admissions so far.