Universal health coverage

Hyderabad: The state government is considering issuing a government order (GO) to outline the details of the free health coverage scheme for all senior citizens above the age of 70. This initiative follows Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's announcement last year to extend free healthcare coverage to all citizens, regardless of their socio-economic status.

However, the implementation of the scheme has taken some time. The scheme is in line with the Centre’s extension of Ayushman Bharat scheme to all people above the age of 70.

"All citizens above 70 will be eligible for healthcare coverage up to `5 lakh," said R.V. Karnan, commissioner of health and family welfare. He added that Telangana’s existing Aarogyasri scheme provided coverage up to `10 lakh for all citizens.

The specific modalities of the scheme were being finalised. "More details will be available once the GO is released, which we expect to happen next week," Karnan stated.

Currently, around 23 lakh senior citizens from below poverty line (BPL) families are covered under Aarogyasri. With the new scheme, `5 lakh coverage will be extended annually to all above poverty line (APL) families.

Karnan also highlighted that 30,000 people have registered on the National Health Portal for this scheme. "Those who are covered under other schemes like the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) will not benefit from this initiative. Since those schemes offer higher coverage, beneficiaries can choose whether to opt for the new scheme," he explained.

The new scheme aims to support senior citizens without any existing health insurance. However, many APL families prefer private insurance options, as they consider the `5 lakh coverage insufficient.