Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS): A Guide

The Indian government is working towards providing affordable healthcare for all the citizens of India through initiatives such as promoting health education, expanding healthcare infrastructure, and introducing affordable and accessible government insurance schemes.To prevent financial barriers to medical treatment and ensure everyone's well-being, these CMCHIS schemes help make the country healthier and more inclusive. One such initiative is the Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme . In this blog, we will delve deeper into the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme to understand how it contributes to making India a healthier and more inclusive nation.

• CMCHIS full form is the Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
• The scheme is an initiative designed to provide quality and affordable healthcare to all residents of Tamil Nadu.
• The scheme covers a sum assured of up to Rs. 5 lakhs annually per family for specified healthcare services and procedures.
• Chief Minister Insurance Scheme has a tenure of one year, which the beneficiaries can renew every year.

The Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme is designed especially for the underprivileged and economically weaker families having low annual incomes to afford quality medical treatments. It offers financial coverage to eligible families to meet their medical expenses, decreasing the financial strain on vulnerable families in Tamil Nadu.Amma Health Care provides medical coverage to families below the poverty line (BPL) and other eligible categories. The CMCHIS scheme covers up to ₹5 lakhs per year per family for specified covered medical procedures. The eligible beneficiaries can get cashless treatment at empanelled hospitals for various healthcare services, including hospitalisation, surgeries, and outpatient care.

The Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), or Amma Health Insurance, is a pioneering healthcare initiative the Government of Tamil Nadu introduced. Launched in 2012, it aims to offer financial protection to the economically vulnerable sections of society against rising medical costs.CMCHIS has significantly expanded access to medical care across Tamil Nadu since its inception. It has enrolled more than 65% of the population of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Under the CMCHIS scheme , eligible families get coverage for various healthcare treatments, including hospitalisation, surgeries, and outpatient care. The CMCHIS scheme is key to offering equitable access to quality healthcare services and promoting better health outcomes.

Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme provides coverage for the following:

Here is the list of diseases and treatments covered under the Amma Health Insurance Scheme:

• Bariatric surgery
• Obstetric surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Radiation oncology
• Cardiology
• Haematology
• OFMS
• Gynaecology
• Neurology
• Pulmonology
• Rheumatology
• Paediatric surgeries
• Cardiothoracic surgeries
• Hepatology
• Medical oncology
• Paediatrics plastic surgery
• Thoracic medicine
• Ophthalmology surgeries
• Spine surgeries
• Surgical gastroenterology
• Endocrine surgery
• Interventional radiology
• Dermatology
• Infectious diseases
• Orthopaedic trauma
• STEMI
• ENT
• Interventional cardiology
• Paediatric intensive care
• Surgical oncology
• Endocrinology (follow-up procedure)
• Gastroenterology
• Neonatology
• PMR
• Vascular surgeries
• Genitourinary surgery
• Nephrology
• Psychiatry

Residents of Tamil Nadu are eligible to enrol under the Chief Minister Insurance Scheme if they satisfy the following eligibility criteria:

• They should be a resident of the state of Tamil Nadu.
• The total income of the family should be less than Rs. 72,000 per annum.
• The applicant can also be a Sri Lankan refugee possessing proof of citizenship.
• The family member applying for the scheme should be listed in the ration card of the family.
• Applicants can be orphans of rescued girl children from any registered or unregistered organisation.
• Individuals who are migrants of other states of India, residing in Tamil Nadu for a minimum of 6 months and carrying migration certificates from the concerned authority.

Also Read: Health Insurance: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Important Considerations

Here are some of the key features of the Chief Minister Insurance Scheme:

Family-Floater Policy

CMCHIS is a family floater policy in which any registered member of the eligible family can avail of the coverage benefits up to the maximum sum assured of ₹5 lakhs.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Amma Health Insurance is designed for specific family groups, such as economically weaker sections and families falling below the poverty line, to ensure inclusive and equal access to healthcare services.

Health Camps

The network hospitals under the Amma Health Care Schemes organise frequent and regular monthly health camps, to promote healthcare and provide access to free health check-ups and follow-up treatments in the camps.

Amma Health Care offers coverage to Sri Lankan refugees without any income restriction. They can get cashless treatment at the desired healthcare centre.

Network Hospitals

CMCHIS partners with a range of network hospitals across Tamil Nadu, including nursing homes, health centres, and multi-speciality hospitals across towns and districts, providing cashless treatment to the beneficiaries enrolled under the CMCHIS scheme . These network hospitals ensure that the beneficiaries do not need to pay anything for the medical treatment, and the insurer settles the amount directly.

High Sum Assured

The scheme offers a sum assured of ₹5 lakhs annually on a family floater basis, enabling access to quality medical care which would otherwise not be affordable to them. It serves as a financial safety net for people deprived of quality medical services due to huge costs.

All-Time Assistance

The beneficiaries can get all-time assistance under the scheme through an active call centre, which assists with queries 24x7 and provides solutions to their questions related to the health insurance scheme .

The Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) offers several benefits to the residents of Tamil Nadu, including but not limited to the following:

Comprehensive Coverage

CMCHIS typically provides health insurance coverage for specified medical treatments and diseases. This coverage extends to hospitalisation expenses, outpatient services, surgery costs, etc, thereby reducing out-of-pocket expenses.

Cashless Treatment

The beneficiaries can get cashless treatments at any of the empanelled hospitals without making an upfront payment and worrying about financial strain, as the insurer settles the bills directly with the hospital.

Access to Quality Healthcare

CMCHIS ensures access to quality healthcare services at empanelled hospitals. These network hospitals are selected based on their infrastructure and ability to offer quality care, promoting healthcare outcomes for the beneficiaries.

Coverage for Specific Diseases

Amma Health Care covers various medical conditions and diseases, including critical illnesses and common ailments, as specified under the CMCHIS scheme .

Subsidised or Free Premiums

The premium for Amma Health Insurance is often subsidised or fully paid by the government for the eligible beneficiaries, making it affordable to low-income and economically disadvantaged groups.

Public Health Impact

The scheme also has extended public health impacts as it promotes early intervention and preventive care. Regular screening and health check-ups of the beneficiaries enable them to detect illness early and reduce the health risk.

Enrolling under the Chief Minister Insurance Scheme is very simple and quick. If the applicant has all the relevant documents, they can easily and quickly enrol in the scheme. Here are the simple steps to follow for enrolling yourself under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme :

Income Certificate

Acquire an income certificate from the Village Administrative Officer/Revenue authorities.

Visit the Enrolment Centre

Visit the authorised enrolment centre, fill out and sign the application form, and submit all the relevant documents, including the income certificate.

Verification of Documents

In the enrolment centre, verify your documents by the kiosk operator, and provide your biometric details like fingerprints, photographs, eye scans, etc.

Issuance of Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme card

Your Chief Minister Health Card will be issued once the documents are verified and biometric scanning is done.

You have to carry the following documents to the enrolment centre to enrol under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme:

• Income Certificate from Village Administrative Officer/Revenue authorities.
• Self-declaration from the head of the family.
• Original Ration Card and a copy.
• Other documents include a PAN card as ID proof and an Aadhaar card as address proof..

The beneficiary under Chief Minister Health Insurance can search their member ID using their ration card or Unique Registration Number (URN) number. Here are the steps to search Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme member ID:

• Visit the official website of the CMCHIS scheme at https://www.cmchistn.com/ and select the enrolment tab.
• In the drop-down menu of the Enrolment tab, click on Member search/ e-card.
• A new page will open.
• Provide the relevant details such as URN No., Ration Card No., beneficiary name, mobile number, district, gender, taluk, village and PIN Code. After filling in all the details, click on 'Search.'
• The result for your corresponding member ID will be displayed on the screen.

Also Read: Tips to Choose the Health Insurance Plan in India

You can download Chief Minister Health Insurance Card online by following these simple steps:

• Visit the official website of the Chief Minister Health Insurance Smart Card.
• Enter your ration card number and beneficiary details.
• Click on ‘generate e-card.’
• Your CMCHIS card will be downloaded to your files; save it for future reference.

Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme provides cashless claims settlement at any of the empanelled hospitals in Tamil Nadu. Many hospitals are empanelled under Amma Health Care to serve cashless claims. The beneficiary need not pay any expenses from their pocket, and the insurer directly settles the hospital bills.To make a claim, the beneficiary should provide their Maruthuva Kapitu Thittam Card or the Chief Minister Health Card, received at the time of enrolment to the hospital. On receiving the Chief Minister Health Card , the hospital authorities will send the information to the insurance company for cashless claims.The claim amount will be directly settled between the hospital and the insurance company, without any additional intervention required from the beneficiary.

If your Aadhaar card is not linked with your provided Unique Registration Number (URN) at the time of your enrolment under the CMCHIS scheme, you can do so in the following simple steps :

• Visit the official website of CMCHIS at https://www.cmchistn.com/ and click on the ‘enrolment’ tab.
• Select the ‘How to link AADHAAR with URN’ option from the drop-down menu.
• Select your preferred language, Tamil or English, and you will be redirected to this page.
• Enter your URN number and select the checkbox to link your Aadhar card to the URN.
• Click on 'Enroll Now' and select the family member from the list of beneficiaries.
• Then, provide your mobile number, which is linked to the Aadhar card of that family member.
• Enter the Aadhar Card Number and click on 'Submit.'
• Then, you will receive an OTP on your registered mobile number linked to your Aadhar card.
• Enter the received OTP and click on 'Submit.'
• After registration, you will receive confirmation that your Aadhar is linked to your URN.

However, if your Aadhar number is already linked to the URN, you will get a message that it is already registered.

In case of any query or assistance required for the Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, you can contact the scheme executive through any of the following ways:

The Amma Health Care scheme is meant for the people of Tamil Nadu. If you live in another state or are not eligible for the scheme, you can opt for an independent health plan.Independent health plans can help you choose customised coverage for financial protection. The premiums are affordable, and you can enjoy lifelong renewability.So, understand the Amma Health Care scheme and enrol under it if you are eligible for cost-effective coverage. Also Read: Buying Private Health Insurance