What is Atal Amrit Abhiyan? – Objective, Features, Procedure & Benefits

Background

Because of high levels of household healthcare costs, a large number of households are pushed into poverty. Whether long-term, chronic or sudden or acute, illnesses can impose costs on households that can spiral into catastrophic healthcare costs with far-reaching consequences. However, even in lower-middle and middle-class households, access to quality diagnosis is limited when vital illnesses strike, owing to the often prohibitive cost of treatment.

The objective of Atal Amrit Abhiyan

To address this critical vulnerability faced by the BPL population and Low-Income households in the state, the Government of Assam has launched the health assurance scheme “Atal Amrit Abhiyan,” which provides cashless treatment and critical care media attention to the BPL inhabitants and Low-Income households. The Atal Amrit Abhiyan, or Health Assurance Scheme, focuses on making treatment more affordable while also limiting the disastrous financial impact that households frequently face due to out-of-pocket spending.

 

The Atal Amrit Abhiyan aims to provide state residents with health insurance coverage worth Rs. 2 lakh. The Atal Amrit Abhiyan health insurance scheme would cover cancer, kidney disease, brain and heart ailments, and burn injuries. People suffering from these diseases will receive treatment for up to Rs. 2 lakh at all govt. And CGHS-empanelled hospitals. The government would provide each beneficiary with a unique identification number and a health card under the scheme.

 

For BPL families, the Assam Atal Amrit Abhiyan scheme is free. The smart cards have been distributed, and new cards are being distributed regularly by the government. The scheme provides cashless treatment to families from the society’s Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Lower Income Group (LIG). Enrollment in the first phase of the Atal Amrit Abhiyan is still ongoing in many districts across the state, while it has already concluded in others.

 

The Scheme’s Key Characteristics

1) The Scheme is being implemented by a single Implementation Support Agency (ISA) called Medi Assist Insurance TPA Pvt. Ltd., chosen and hired for the job.

 2) The scheme will be available to all BPL and APL families in the state with an annual income of Rs. 5 lakh. The scheme does not apply to the families of government workers.

 3) Each adult member of an eligible family will be enrolled for the purpose through the ISA and will be issued a laminated ID card with a personal identification number ( pin ) to facilitate digital payment treatment at the empanelled health facilities. Children under 18 will be enrolled with the family’s head.

 4) The Scheme will be exempt for BPL families, with an annual enrolment fee of Rs. 100/- collected from each member of the APL family.

 5) The Scheme will provide inpatient treatment facilities at empanelled hospitals (private and public) up to a maximum limit of Rs. 2.00 lakh per individual member per annum within and outside the State of Assam for the following diseases: 

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
• Cancer
• Renal (Kidney)

disorders

• Diseases that affect

newborns

• Neurological disorders
• Burns

Current Status: In the first phase, manual applications were collected at the district level, and the cost of treatment was reimbursed under the scheme’s guidelines. Until now, a total of 3241 people have benefited from the AAA program.

 

On April 10th, 2017, enrollment in the scheme began on a trial basis in one block of each of the state’s seven districts, namely Kamrup (R), Majuli, Dibrugarh, Baksa, Cachar, Dhubri, and Karbi Anglong. Then, enrollment was expanded to include all other blocks/populations in these seven districts. Enrollment is now underway in nine additional districts: Golaghat, Jorhat, Nagaon, Sivsagar, Sonitpur, Udalguri, Halikandi, Karimganj, and Morigaon. In the following phase, enrollment will be completed in the remaining districts covering the entire state. District kiosks have been set up to facilitate alteration, correction, and left-out registration in these regions.

 Budget: The Government of Assam released Rupees 45,00 crores for the Scheme in 2016-17 and Rupees 100.00 crores in 2017-18.

Eligibility for Atal Amrit Abhiyan

Listed here are the eligibility criteria for Atal Amrit Abhiyan:

• The individual must be an Assamese citizen.

• The individual must have a ration card issued by the Assam government under the National Food Security Act.

• Individuals who fall below the poverty line (annual income less than Rs. 1.2 lakh) and those who fall above the poverty line (annual income between Rs. 1.2 lakh and Rs. 5 lakhs) are both eligible.

• To apply, families need an annual income of less than Rs. 5 lakh. Government employees are not eligible to apply.

Documents required for Atal Amrit Abhiyan

Some of the documents required to apply for this scheme are:

1. Application form
2. Aadhaar card
3. Residence proof
4. Income certificate
5. Bank account details
6. Passport-sized photograph
7. Medical certificate
8. Any other document as specified by the insurance company

The Atal Amrit Scheme’s insurance coverage procedure

A health card in the form of a government-unique identification number will be made available to cover citizens in this scheme under Atal Amrit Yojana to all beneficiaries under the insurance procedure. Under this scheme, free smart cards will be distributed to low-income families until April 1st, 2017. The benefit of a smart card can be obtained for only $100. A smart card will be issued to each household member to take advantage of the Atal Amrit Abhiyan. The annual cost of renewing the smart card under this scheme will be $100.

Download Assam Atal Amrit card with photo

The largest state in the Northeastern region, Assam, lacks health care and infrastructure. So people are forced to relocate to other states such as Delhi, Kolkata, or South Indian cities. This scheme aims to protect citizens’ health and provide high-quality medical care in the state of Assam. For this campaign, the government has set aside 200 crores, which can be increased in the future. People can now quickly and easily download their Atal Amrit Health card with photos from the official website.

Note: The state government of Assam will bear an additional burden of Rs 200 crore to implement the Atal Amrit Abhiyan Health Insurance Scheme. The government is attempting to enlist more hospitals under this scheme so that beneficiaries can receive treatment without difficulty. The state government will only provide one lakh rupees in financial assistance at a time. This scheme was launched on an individual basis on April 1st, 2017.

The Benefits of the Assam Government Employees’ Health Card

1. The government of Assam will bear the cost of treatment for 437 diseases classified into five types under this health insurance scheme.
2. The insured person will be given a smart card, distributed on April 1st.
3. Annual smart card renewal is required, and the cost will be limited to 100 rupees.
4. This scheme will be provided at no cost to all family members of people living below the poverty line (BPL).
5. Other people who are above the poverty line (APL) will have to register for this scheme for a fee of only 100 rupees.
6. This scheme is available to all families with an annual income of fewer than 5 lakhs.

 A distinct society has been formed under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to oversee the implementation of this scheme, which will keep a close eye on it.

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