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Chandigarh: The Punjab government is all set to roll out its flagship Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana across the state in mid-January, with January 15 fixed as the tentative launch date. The scheme will provide cashless health insurance cover of up to ₹10 lakh per family per year, benefiting nearly three crore Punjabis.
Though Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced the universal health insurance scheme in July, its implementation was delayed as the government finalised the insurer and empanelment of hospitals. United India Insurance has now been selected to provide coverage under the scheme. To support the rollout, the Punjab government has earmarked ₹778 crore in the current state Budget for the scheme.
A senior Health Department official said the state had already conducted a pilot enrolment drive in Tarn Taran and Barnala in October. “Nearly 46,000 families, covering about 1.5 lakh members, have already been enrolled and issued Mukh Mantri Sehat Cards. From January 1, enrolment and card issuance will begin in all other districts as well,” the official said.
The scheme is expected to benefit around 65 lakh families across Punjab and will cover over 2,000 medical procedures and surgeries through empanelled hospitals. Hospital empanelment is currently underway. Around 750 hospitals have already been onboarded, and the government plans to empanel nearly 1,000 hospitals before the statewide rollout to ensure adequate access to cashless treatment.
Under the financial arrangement, the insurance company will bear treatment costs up to ₹1 lakh, while expenses beyond that—up to the ₹10-lakh cap—will be borne by the Punjab government. The initial contract with the insurer will be for two years.
The new scheme replaces the Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana launched by the previous Congress government, under which families were covered up to ₹5 lakh. By doubling insurance coverage, the Mann government aims to strengthen the state’s public healthcare safety net significantly.
