CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will launch the Chief Minister’s Elderly Health Insurance Scheme, a programme that will provide free, cashless medical treatment to nearly 38 lakh residents aged 70 and above, with no income ceiling for eligibility — a move the state can no longer defer with a growing elderly population.Health minister KG Arunraj announced the scheme in the assembly on Monday and said it will offer advanced medical treatment for chronic illnesses, advanced cardiac care procedures and organ transplant surgeries.Under the scheme, advanced treatment will be available free of charge at govt and empanelled private hospitals, he said.Arunraj did not elaborate on the coverage it will offer, but senior officials said it will be dovetailed with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and will be in line with the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, which at present covers roughly 1.45 crore families for 5 lakh a family every year.High-end surgeries such as transplants and cochlear implants will be funded up to 23 lakh from a special corpus, officials said.
