State-owned National Insurance Company has entered into a three-year contract with Jharkhand State Aarogya Society, a unit of the state health department, for implementing the cashless healthcare scheme for economically weaker sections under Ayushman Bharat that will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ranchi on Sunday.

Principal secretary, health, and chairman Jharkhand State Aarogya Society Nidhi Khare told the media on Friday that that beneficiaries of the scheme would not have to worry about pre-insurance health check-ups or settlement of insurance claims.

“As per the agreement, no member of a beneficiary family unit will be required to undergo a pre-insurance health check-up. The insurance company will be responsible for settling all claims of empanelled hospitals within 15 days after receiving all the required information/documentss. The insurance will cover 1,350 packages for as many health procedures including over 23 surgical and medical specialties,” she said.

Elaborating on the hybrid model selected by the Jharkhand government for the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Khare said, “In settling treatment bills, up to Rs 1 lakh will come from National Insurance Company and the rest (above Rs 1 lakh) will be settled by Jharkhand State Aarogya Society. The state has integrated the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana (with provision of free treatment up to Rs 1 lakh) with Ayushman Bharat and the cap has been raised to Rs 5 lakh. The biggest advantage is that now beneficiaries from the state can avail treatment in any empanelled hospital across the country wherein earlier they had to be treated in hospitals in Jharkhand only.”

State health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi noted that while the Union government had chosen 25 lakh beneficiary families of Jharkhand from the deprived category based on socio-economic caste census (SECC) data of 2011, the state government had decided to provide benefits to the remaining 32 lakh households covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA).

“This means 57 lakh households will be covered under the scheme. That is, 80 per cent of the state’s population will benefit from the scheme,” he said.

For 25 lakh beneficiary households the Centre would contribute 60 per cent of the insurance premium and the state 40 per cent. However, for the remaining 32 lakh households the state would contribute 100 per cent, Chandravanshi explained.

So far, 90 per cent public sector hospitals (those with more than 10 beds) have been empanelled in the scheme. In all, the minister said, more than 338 hospitals, both private and public, had submitted applications. Of these, 296 were already empanelled.

“Gold cards for verified beneficiaries are being distributed in few districts and within a month all 57 lakh households will get gold cards which will make it easy for them to avail the cashless treatment benefits. A letter written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be given to beneficiary households,” said Chandravanshi, adding that Modi would personally hand over gold cards to five verified beneficiaries when he is Ranchi on Sunday.

Chief manager IT, National Insurance Company, D. S. Pente, who signed the agreement on behalf of the company, said since there were packages for almost all medical procedures, it eliminated chances of overcharging by private hospitals.

At RIMS, an Ayushman Bharat helpdesk has been set up where verification of beneficiaries were already queuing up with ration cards(red and yellow) and photo identity cards (Aadhaar or voter ID).

Executive director Jharkhand Aarogya Society Divyanshu Jha said that Aarogya mitras were being trained and would be appointed at all empanelled hospitals to help with resolved grievances on verification and authentications.