Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Is colon cancer covered under Ayushman Bharat? | CION Cancer Clinics
Yes, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY covers colon cancer treatment for eligible families. The operation and standard chemotherapy are on its package list and are given cashless at empanelled hospitals, up to a yearly family limit, once the hospital gets approval. This page explains who qualifies, how the card works in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and what usually falls outside the cover. At CION Cancer Clinics, we explain costs in writing and help families from across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh plan treatment in Hyderabad.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- Does Ayushman Bharat cover colon cancer?
- Is my family eligible for Ayushman Bharat?
- How do I use an Ayushman card for colon cancer treatment?
- What does colon cancer treatment cost without the card?
- How is Ayushman Bharat different from Aarogyasri?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about Ayushman Bharat and colon cancer
The short answer
Does Ayushman Bharat cover colon cancer?
Yes, if your family is eligible and the hospital is empanelled for cancer care. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, usually called PM-JAY, pays the hospital directly for listed treatments. For colon cancer that includes the operation and standard chemotherapy. Each admission needs the hospital to get approval first.
A yearly limit for the whole family
Cover is one amount per family per year, shared by everyone on the card. Cancer treatment can use a large part of it, especially when surgery and a full course of chemotherapy fall in the same year. Ask the hospital desk to check how much of your family's limit is left before each new admission.
Cashless means no bill inside the package
For anything inside an approved package, the hospital should not ask you for money. That covers the stay, the procedure, routine medicines and the tests needed during that admission, along with some care shortly before admission and after discharge. The surprises come from treatments that are not on the list, or a hospital that is not empanelled for that specialty. The surgical side is explained in colectomy scheme and insurance cover.
The scheme pays the hospital. Your job is to keep the card, the reports and each approval in order.Who qualifies
Is my family eligible for Ayushman Bharat?
Eligibility is decided by lists, not by a diagnosis. Having cancer does not by itself make a family eligible.
Families on the scheme's list
Most eligible families were identified from a national survey of poorer and deprived households, later added to by the states. If your family is on that list, the Ayushman card is made through e-KYC with Aadhaar.
Senior citizens
Everyone aged seventy or over is now eligible, whatever the family income, through a separate senior citizen card. People who already use a government employees' health scheme may have to choose between that and PM-JAY.
Families in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
In both states PM-JAY runs together with the state scheme, through a shared network of hospitals. Your Aarogyasri or NTR Vaidya Seva card and your Ayushman card may lead to the same cover, and the hospital desk books each admission under the right one.
Who it usually does not cover
Families outside the lists whose members are under seventy, and people who rely only on employer cover or private insurance. They may still have options, which are set out in insurance cover for colon cancer.
Step by step
How do I use an Ayushman card for colon cancer treatment?
Check eligibility and get the card
Check your name on the official beneficiary website or app, or at an empanelled hospital's help desk, using Aadhaar or a ration card. The card is made through e-KYC and can be downloaded to a phone.
Find a hospital empanelled for cancer care
Not every empanelled hospital offers every specialty. Ask whether it is empanelled for surgical oncology and medical oncology, because colon cancer usually needs both.
Meet the Arogya Mitra
Each empanelled hospital has a scheme help desk run by an Arogya Mitra, who verifies the card and opens the case. Bring Aadhaar, the card and every report: colonoscopy, biopsy and CT.
Wait for pre-authorisation
The hospital uploads the diagnosis and the plan and asks for approval before planned treatment. Each block of chemotherapy is usually a fresh request, so ask the desk before every one.
Treatment and discharge
Keep the discharge summary and any scheme papers you sign. If you are asked to pay for something inside the package, ask for it in writing before you pay.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Indicative cost
What does colon cancer treatment cost without the card?
These are 2026 Hyderabad self-pay estimates, not PM-JAY package amounts. They show how quickly a family limit can be used, and what you would face for anything outside the list.
₹6,000 – ₹15,000
Colonoscopy and biopsy
The test that finds the tumour and the sample that confirms it.
₹15,000 – ₹25,000
PET-CT, where needed
Used selectively, not for everyone, when CT leaves a question open.
₹1,80,000 – ₹3,50,000
Laparoscopic colectomy
Keyhole removal of the right, left or sigmoid colon, at a partner hospital.
₹15,000 – ₹45,000
Adjuvant chemotherapy, per cycle
FOLFOX or CAPOX after surgery, when the tumour board advises it.
₹1,20,000 – ₹2,75,000
Immunotherapy, per cycle
Pembrolizumab, used only for MSI-high colon cancer that has spread.
Indicative only. These are not PM-JAY package amounts, which the National Health Authority sets and revises and this page does not quote. Under an approved package the scheme pays the hospital, so your own cost is usually very different. Call the helpline to check what may fall outside your cover.
Side by side
How is Ayushman Bharat different from Aarogyasri?
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY
Aarogyasri (Telangana)
Run nationally by the National Health Authority with the states
Run by the Telangana state's own health trust
Eligibility from national lists, plus everyone aged seventy or over
Eligibility mainly from the white ration card
The card works at empanelled hospitals in other states
Used at network hospitals in the state's own network
A yearly limit per family, set nationally
A yearly limit per family, set by the state
In Telangana, delivered together with Aarogyasri
The usual route for eligible Telangana families
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your family is on the list. Only the official check, using Aadhaar or a ration card, can answer that. It cannot give you a package amount, a package code or your family's remaining limit. The National Health Authority revises the package list, and the only reliable figure is the one on your approval.
Whether a hospital will accept the card for your step
Empanelment is by specialty, and some cancer packages are kept for government hospitals only. A hospital may be empanelled for surgery but not for chemotherapy. Before you travel, ask the hospital's Arogya Mitra, or call the CION helpline and ask whether the step you need can be booked under your card at a CION centre or a partner hospital.
Who this page is not for
If the cancer is in the rectum, the packages differ and include radiation, so start at the rectal cancer hub. Telangana families with a white ration card should also read colon cancer under Aarogyasri. Central government employees and pensioners usually use their own health scheme instead.
A scheme decides what is paid for. It does not decide what treatment you need. That is a conversation with your oncologist.Questions we are asked
Common questions about Ayushman Bharat and colon cancer
Does Ayushman Bharat pay for colon cancer surgery?
Yes. The operation to remove the cancer is on the package list and is done cashless at a hospital empanelled for surgical oncology once approval comes through. CION's surgical oncologists plan the operation and it is carried out at an accredited partner hospital, so ask the helpline whether that hospital can book it under your card.
Is chemotherapy covered under PM-JAY?
Standard chemotherapy for colon cancer is on the list, including day-care cycles. Each block of cycles usually needs its own approval, so ask the desk before every one. Keep the approval papers, blood reports and discharge summaries together, because each new request draws on them.
Are targeted therapy and immunotherapy covered?
Often not, or only in narrow situations. These medicines are mainly used when colon cancer has spread, and they cost far more per cycle than standard chemotherapy. Ask your oncologist whether a listed option exists, and ask the helpline about manufacturer patient-assistance programmes before deciding.
My father is over seventy. Is he covered?
In most cases, yes. Everyone aged seventy or over is now eligible regardless of income, through a senior citizen card made with Aadhaar e-KYC. If he already uses a government employees' health scheme, he may need to choose between that and PM-JAY. Check at the hospital desk or on the official app.
Can we use the card in Hyderabad if we live in another state?
Yes, at hospitals empanelled under PM-JAY, because the card works across states. The hospital checks the card against your home state's records, which can take a little longer. Bring Aadhaar and the card, and call the hospital before you travel to confirm it is empanelled for cancer care.
What happens when the family limit runs out?
Treatment does not have to stop, but the scheme stops paying for the rest of that year. Tell the oncologist early if the plan is long, so the money is planned alongside the medicine. Ask about state scheme cover, insurance and charitable help before the limit is reached, not after.
Do we need an Ayushman card if we already have Aarogyasri?
In Telangana the two schemes run together through one network, and the hospital desk decides which card an admission is booked under. Having the Ayushman card as well matters most if you may be treated outside the state, because it works across states.
Can I get a second opinion and still use the card?
Yes. Asking for one is reasonable and common. A consultation outside an approved admission is usually paid separately. CION's oncologists give second opinions at every centre. Bring the biopsy, the scans and the proposed plan, and they will tell you whether the plan fits your stage.
What moves the figure
What affects the cost
Four things change the total more than anything else.
The technique used
A shaped or image-guided delivery costs more than a conventional one, and is chosen on clinical grounds rather than preference.
How many sessions
The total is driven by the number of sittings or cycles, not by a single per-visit figure.
Supporting tests
Scans, blood work and pathology done alongside treatment are billed separately.
Your cover
Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance usually change the out-of-pocket figure substantially.
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
Your Specialists
Meet CION's colon cancer specialists. Bring your colonoscopy, scan or biopsy report.
Our surgical and medical oncologists plan colon cancer care together: which operation, whether chemotherapy is needed, and the follow-up that comes after.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
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Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. One helpline books a consultation at any of these centres, and your team will tell you where each test and operation takes place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Managing Cancer Costs and Medical Information
- IRDAI — Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
- American Cancer Society — Colon Cancer Treatment, by Stage
- American Cancer Society — Colorectal Cancer Chemotherapy
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Colon cancer under AarogyasriThe Telangana state scheme that runs alongside PM-JAYHow Aarogyasri colorectal packages workHow packages and approvals run, step by stepIf the money runs out mid-treatmentWhen a family limit is used up before treatment endsIs colon cancer treatment covered by insurance?If you have private or employer insurance as well
Talk to us
Want to know whether your card covers the next step?
Tell us which card your family holds and where you are in treatment. We will tell you what we can about booking that step and what to ask the hospital desk. One helpline serves every CION centre.