Understanding the automatic renewal of your ₹5 lakh cover and when you need to take action.
One of the most common questions beneficiaries have is about the validity and renewal of their Ayushman Card. Does it expire? Do you need to pay a fee every year to keep it active? The good news is that the Ayushman Bharat scheme is designed to be hassle-free. However, there's a key distinction between the validity of your card and the renewal of your annual health cover.
This guide will clear all your doubts about Ayushman Card validity, explain how the ₹5 lakh benefit renews automatically, and clarify the specific situations where you might need to update or re-verify your details.
No, the physical or digital Ayushman Card (Golden Card) does not have an expiry date printed on it. Your card remains valid as long as your family continues to be eligible under the scheme's guidelines. The eligibility is based on the government's beneficiary database (like the SECC 2011 list or state-specific lists). As long as you are in that database, your card is considered active.
This is the part that is "renewed," and the best part is that it happens **automatically and is completely free**.
While the benefit renewal is automatic, there are certain situations where you may need to take action to update your details. This is often confused with "renewal," but it's actually an update process. You should get your details updated in the following cases:
All these updates can be done by visiting an Ayushman Mitra at an empanelled hospital or a Common Service Centre (CSC). Remember to carry the necessary documents required for the Ayushman card update.
In summary, you can think of your Ayushman Card as having **lifelong validity**, provided your family remains on the government's beneficiary list. The **₹5 lakh health cover is your annual benefit**, which gets refilled automatically every year without any action or payment from your end. Your only responsibility is to keep your family's details, especially the list of members, up to date.
Yes, it is still valid. The card itself does not expire. The ₹5 lakh benefit available to your family has been automatically renewed every year since 2021.
If your family uses the entire ₹5 lakh limit within a policy year, you will have to bear the cost of any further hospitalization for that year. However, on the anniversary of your policy, the ₹5 lakh limit will be fully restored for the new year.
You can check your remaining balance by visiting the Ayushman Mitra at any empanelled hospital. They can check your transaction history and tell you the available amount in your family's account for the current year.