| QUICK GIST |
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| In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the older ANISHI health insurance scheme was merged into Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY. Eligible families, mainly Priority Household (PHH) and Antyodaya (AAY) ration card holders, get cashless treatment of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year at empanelled hospitals, on the islands and on the mainland. The UT adds something extra: help with the cost of being referred to the mainland. Under revised guidelines effective 1 August 2026, referred patients and one attendant can travel by economy air with reimbursement up to ₹40,000, stretcher cases get cashless air tickets, and all eligible beneficiaries can claim wage-loss compensation of ₹1,000 a day for up to 20 days. The Administration also bears air ambulance costs for seriously ill patients. The UT won a national award in January 2026 for its treatment of beneficiaries. |
Ayushman Bharat in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands: ₹5 Lakh of Cover, Plus Help Getting to the Mainland
The hospital bill was never the only bill
For island families, a serious diagnosis often comes with a second question: how do we get to Chennai, Kolkata or Vizag, and how do we pay for the flight, the stay and the days of lost work?
Andaman and Nicobar has built an answer to that question too. On top of Ayushman Bharat’s ₹5 lakh, the UT runs a transport and wage-loss support system. In August 2026 it got more generous, with economy air travel up to ₹40,000 and wage-loss support extended to all eligible beneficiaries.
Here’s how it all fits together.
| Parents in Port Blair, you in Chennai, and a referral letter nobody quite understands? We can help. Book a call with us. Quicker than the ship to the mainland. |
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What you get
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Health cover | Up to ₹5 lakh per family per year, cashless, at empanelled hospitals |
| Air travel on referral | Economy class for patient and one attendant, reimbursed up to ₹40,000 (onward and return) |
| Stretcher cases | Air tickets arranged cashless by the State Health Agency |
| Wage loss | ₹1,000 per day for up to 20 days, for all eligible beneficiaries |
| Air ambulance | Cost borne by the Administration for seriously ill patients |
The travel and wage-loss rules are effective from 1 August 2026, and the support system has run in some form since 2020.
| Have a private policy as well? Know Your Policy explains it in plain language. Some private plans include ambulance or travel benefits; see if yours does. |
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How to get your card and use referral support
- Carry your PHH or AAY ration card and Aadhaar.
- Check eligibility on the PM-JAY portal or at a local health facility.
- Generate your Ayushman card after verification.
- Use it at empanelled hospitals on the islands or on the mainland.
- If referred to the mainland, ask about travel and wage-loss support before you travel, and keep all tickets, discharge papers and receipts for your claim.
Helpline: 14555.
| Need the official guidelines? The Directorate of Health Services publishes the referral, transport and wage-loss guidelines. Check the latest version before travelling. |
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| Family split between the islands and Tamil Nadu or West Bengal? The CoverSure State Health Scheme Calculator compares each scheme. |
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Worth knowing
Referral comes first. Travel and wage-loss support apply to patients formally referred under the scheme, typically from GB Pant Hospital in Sri Vijaya Puram. Don’t book first and ask later.
Keep every receipt. Tickets, boarding passes, discharge summaries and wage-loss declarations are needed for claims, and older guidelines set a time limit for claiming after you return.
Hospital stays only. No routine OPD cover.
Make sure your card is ready. The administration urged eligible PHH and AAY families to generate cards by 15 August 2026. If you haven’t, do it now.
| Have a private plan that might duplicate this cover? A Policy Health Check reviews it across 30+ parameters for ₹99, against 1,500+ plans. |
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| Ayushman card, referral papers, flight receipts and wage-loss forms? That’s a lot to keep track of. Add your state scheme to your CoverSure insurance portfolio and keep the essentials in one place. Turn on Family Share so the attendant on the mainland can access the details. |
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Ayushman Bharat (A&N) vs a private plan
What the UT’s set-up does well
- ₹5 lakh free for eligible families.
- Air travel and wage-loss support for mainland referrals, which most health plans don’t offer.
- Air ambulance for seriously ill patients.
- National recognition for beneficiary support in 2026.
Where a private plan usually adds more
- Open to families outside PHH and AAY.
- Higher sums insured and room choice.
- Freedom to pick a mainland hospital without the referral process.
- Restoration and cumulative bonus.
What a mainland referral looks like now
Meet the Ekkas (a hypothetical PHH family; numbers are illustrative). They live in Sri Vijaya Puram.
| Item (hypothetical) | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Father’s cardiac surgery at an empanelled Chennai hospital, ₹3 lakh | Ayushman Bharat, cashless |
| Return flights for father and one attendant, ₹32,000 | Reimbursed (within the ₹40,000 ceiling) |
| 15 days of lost daily wages | ₹15,000 wage-loss compensation |
| Attendant’s food and local transport in Chennai | Family |
| Under-covered or over-covered? The CoverRisk Calculator checks your income, life stage, dependants and liabilities and tells you. Free. |
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Who is eligible?
- PHH and AAY ration card families in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Seniors aged 70+, through the national Vay Vandana card.
At a glance
| Detail | Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY (Andaman and Nicobar) |
|---|---|
| Earlier scheme | ANISHI, merged into AB-PMJAY |
| Cover | ₹5 lakh per family per year |
| Who qualifies | PHH and AAY ration card families; seniors 70+ |
| Referral support | Economy air up to ₹40,000; cashless air for stretcher cases; air ambulance for seriously ill (from 1 August 2026) |
| Wage loss | ₹1,000/day for up to 20 days, all eligible beneficiaries |
| Recognition | Best UT/State for Treatment of Beneficiaries, January 2026 |
| Main limitations | Referral rules apply, no OPD, card generation needed |
| Helpline | 14555 |
| Official guidelines | dhs.andamannicobar.gov.in |
| Prefer slides to scrolling? A&N’s Ayushman cover and referral support in a quick LinkedIn carousel. Swipe through it on CoverSure’s LinkedIn and share it before someone pays for a mainland flight they could have claimed. |
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Quick answers (FAQs)
- What happened to ANISHI? It was merged into Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY.
- Who is eligible? PHH and AAY ration card families, plus seniors aged 70+.
- Does Ayushman pay for flights to the mainland? Referred patients and one attendant can claim economy air travel up to ₹40,000, from 1 August 2026.
- Is there wage-loss support? Yes, ₹1,000 a day for up to 20 days for eligible beneficiaries.
- What about stretcher cases? Air tickets are arranged cashless by the State Health Agency.
- Is OPD covered? No.
- Is there a premium? No.
- “Hey Google, what’s the Ayushman helpline?” Call 14555.
| Ayushman handles the hospital. CoverSure handles the rest. Download the CoverSure app for policy storage, renewal reminders and SOS alerts. |
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