The Health Department is planning to enhance the annual health coverage of ₹1.5 lakh a year for a family of five under the State’s universal health scheme — Arogya Karnataka — to ₹5 lakh a year per family.
This is part of a co-branding exercise taken up by the department to integrate the State’s health scheme with the Centre’s National Health Protection Scheme — Ayushman Bharat, said Health Minister Shivananda Patil at a press conference here on Thursday. “We will place this proposal before the Cabinet.”
Under Arogya Karnataka that will cover 1.43 crore families, ₹30,000 a year will be provided for specified complex secondary healthcare treatment to a family of up to five members. In the event of the family requiring specified tertiary healthcare treatment, this annual limit will be increased to ₹1.5 lakh a year. For any family needing specified emergency tertiary healthcare treatment even after full utilisation of the annual limit, additional assistance of ₹50,000 will be provided.
However, under Ayushman Bharat, the plan is to provide an annual health cover of ₹5 lakh a year per family to 10.74 crore families.
“As beneficiaries cannot be categorised under the State and the Centre’s schemes separately, the most practical thing to do is co-brand the two schemes,” he said.
Sources said the State was likely to incur an additional expenditure of over ₹1,000 crore. Arogya Karnataka that is presently available in only 10 hospitals across the State, including three in Bengaluru, will be rolled out in 33 major and district-level and taluk-level hospitals by September-end.
Arogya Karnataka cards not mandatory now
Allaying fears that only those who have a Arogya Karnataka card can avail of services, Mr. Patil on Thursday said people can avail themselves of services under the scheme using their Aadhaar and public distribution system (BPL/APL) cards as of now. “There is no need for people to queue up in hospitals to obtain a card. Whenever a beneficiary requires treatment, he/she can visit a government hospital, get enrolled and obtain a card. We will issue Arogya Karnataka cards to all only by 2019,” the Minister said.