What is Modicare – the ambitious scheme announced on Independence day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially announced the Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Scheme popularly referred to as ModiCare in his Independence Day speech. The scheme, which will be launched on September 25, will provide free of cost cover worth Rs 5 lakhs to all eligible individuals. The scheme is likely to cover 50 crore Indians including the poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational category of urban workers' families. In a bid to make the scheme inclusive, there is no cap on family size and age. Beneficiaries can avail benefits in both public and empanelled private facilities. All they need is to have an Aadhaar Card to avail the benefits of the scheme.