Lok Sabha Question No. 4819 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-20
Subject: Ayushman Bharat Scheme in Bihar
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Ashok Kumar Yadav

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4819 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 TH MARCH, 2026

## AYUSHMAN BHARATSCHEME IN BIHAR

## †4819. SHRI ASHOK KUMAR YADAV:

Will the Minister of HEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has provided data on the number of eligible beneficiaries, Ayushman cards issued, empanelled Government/private hospitals, treated patients and the amount of funds spent during the last three years in Bihar under the Ayushman BharatPradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether it is a fact that in many rural and remote districts of Bihar, difficulties like a limited number of hospitals, referral problems and delays in payment of claims have been faced under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, if so, the concrete steps taken by the Government to overcome these shortcomings; and

(c) whether the Government proposes to implement an integrated, monitoring-based and State-specific reform package of Ayushman Bharat and the Jan Aushadhi Yojana in States like Bihar to reduce health expenditure, increase access for the poor and deprived sections and ensure effectiveness of the schemes?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a): A total of 1.21 crore families are eligible under the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the state of Bihar. Additionally, 3.12 lakh families of Accredited Social Health Activists, Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers have been included under the scheme since 01.04.2024. The scheme was further expanded in October 2024 to cover all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, thereby increasing the total coverage to approximately 1.32 crore families in the State of Bihar.

As on 28.02.2026, a total of 4.12 crore Ayushman cards have been created in the State of Bihar, under AB-PMJAY, including 3.96 lakh Vay Vandana cards issued to senior citizens aged 70 years and above. Out of the total cards created, 3.96 crore cards have been created during the last three years (FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25).

As on 28.02.2026, a total of 1,188 hospitals have been empanelled in the State of Bihar, comprising 433 public and 755 private hospitals. Out of these, 305 private hospitals have been empanelled during the last three years (FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25).

As on 28.02.2026, a total of 31.33 lakh hospital admissions amounting to Rs. 4,645.57 crore have been authorized in the State of Bihar under the scheme. Out of these, 15.09 lakh hospital admissions amounting to Rs. 2,026.32 crore have been authorized during the last three years (FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25).

(b): Under AB-PMJAY, in order to improve the participation of hospitals a hospital-specific toll-free helpline number 14413 has been set-up to address the concerns of hospitals on a real -time basis including concerns related to empanelment.

Settlement of claims is a regular and uninterrupted process and claims are settled by respective State Health Agencies as per claim adjudication guidelines issued by National Health Authority. As per these guidelines, the permissible turnaround time for settlement of claims to hospitals is within 15 days of claims submission for the intra-state hospitals (hospitals located within State) and within 30 days in case of portability claims (hospitals located outside State).

Under AB-PMJAY, claims submitted by empanelled hospitals are scrutinized based on the clinical documents, investigation reports, and other supporting records, in accordance with the prescribed standard treatment guidelines.

(c): Since the launch of the scheme, the Health Benefit Packages have been revised five times. Initially, the scheme included 1391 packages, but the latest Health Benefit Package (HBP) 2022, comprises 1961 packages across 27 specialties. This includes packages for chronic illnesses like Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease and other non-communicable diseases. State of Bihar has adopted the latest package master (HBP 2022) on 18.12.2025.

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