Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Ayushman Bharat and liver cancer: what the card covers | CION Cancer Clinics
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY can pay for many liver cancer treatments, if your family is eligible and the hospital is empanelled. It pays fixed packages, cashless, for listed treatments. Newer medicines, many scans and transplant often fall outside it. This page explains what the card usually covers, what it leaves out, and how to use it without delays. 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 liver cancer treatment?
- What would liver cancer treatment cost without a scheme?
- Which parts of liver cancer care does the card usually pay for?
- How do I use my Ayushman card for liver cancer?
- How is Ayushman Bharat different from private health insurance?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about Ayushman Bharat and liver cancer
The short answer
Does Ayushman Bharat cover liver cancer treatment?
Yes, in many cases it does, if your family is eligible and the hospital treating you is empanelled under the scheme. Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY pays for listed cancer treatments as fixed packages, cashless, at the hospital counter. It does not pay for everything a liver cancer plan can involve, and the list of packages changes from time to time.
What the scheme actually is
PM-JAY is the central government's health assurance scheme for families identified as eligible from official household data. It covers hospital stays and many day-care treatments, including several used in cancer care, at government and private hospitals that have signed up. You do not pay a premium. The family carries an Ayushman card, and the hospital claims the package amount from the scheme.
How it fits with Aarogyasri in Telangana
In Telangana, PM-JAY runs alongside the state's own Aarogyasri scheme, and a family may be eligible under one, the other or both. In practice the hospital's scheme desk decides which route a case goes through. Our page on whether Aarogyasri covers liver cancer explains the state side.
This page is about cancer that started in the liver. If the cancer spread to the liver from the bowel, the colon cancer scheme page fits better.Indicative cost
What would liver cancer treatment cost without a scheme?
These are 2026 Hyderabad estimates, not quotes. They help you see why scheme cover matters and what may be left to pay.
₹75,000 – ₹2,50,000
TACE, per session
Chemotherapy delivered straight into the tumour's blood supply. Many people need more than one session.
₹50,000 – ₹1,50,000
Radiofrequency ablation
Heat through a needle to destroy a small tumour.
₹3,00,000 – ₹6,00,000
Liver resection, open
Removing the part of the liver that holds the tumour.
₹80,000 – ₹3,00,000 or more
Systemic therapy, per cycle
Immunotherapy or targeted therapy given over several months.
Indicative only. Whether any of these is covered, and for how much, depends on the scheme's current package list and on whether the treating hospital is empanelled. Transplant and Y-90 are quoted separately. Ask for a written, itemised estimate, and call the helpline to check it against your own card.
What decides cover
Which parts of liver cancer care does the card usually pay for?
The scheme pays per package. Anything that does not match a package is usually your cost, even inside a covered admission.
Often inside a package
Hospital admissions for procedures such as surgery, TACE or ablation, where a matching package exists. Some chemotherapy and day-care treatments are also listed.
Often outside it
Outpatient visits, many scans done before admission, and newer immunotherapy or targeted medicines that are not on the list. These can become the largest part of the bill.
Ask about each of these
- Triple-phase CT or MRI before the plan
- Biopsy and the pathology report
- Medicines taken at home
Transplant and Y-90
Liver transplant and TARE (radioactive beads, also called Y-90) are the most expensive options. Cover for them is limited or absent in many schemes. Check with the transplant centre before you plan around it.
The hospital itself
Only empanelled hospitals can treat you cashless. A hospital may be empanelled for some specialities and not others, so ask specifically about liver cancer.
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The paperwork
How do I use my Ayushman card for liver cancer?
Check that your family is eligible
Use the official PM-JAY website, the helpline or a Common Service Centre with your ration card or Aadhaar. Eligibility comes from government data, not from an application form.
Get the card made
Each family member listed needs their own card. Do this before the admission if you can, because a missing card slows everything at the counter.
Go to the scheme desk first
At an empanelled hospital, meet the Ayushman Mitra or scheme coordinator before the doctor admits you. Bring the card, Aadhaar, all scan and biopsy reports and the treatment plan.
Wait for pre-authorisation
The hospital sends the plan to the scheme for approval. Treatment under the card starts after approval. Ask for a written note of anything that will not be covered.
Keep every paper
Discharge summaries, bills and approval messages. You will need them for the next cycle or session. See paperwork to keep from day one.
Side by side
How is Ayushman Bharat different from private health insurance?
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY
Private health insurance
Eligibility comes from government household data
Anyone can buy a policy, subject to the insurer's checks
No premium for the family
You pay a premium every year
Pays fixed package amounts for listed treatments
Pays actual bills up to the sum insured, with policy limits
Only at empanelled hospitals
Cashless at network hospitals, reimbursement elsewhere
Newer medicines may fall outside the packages
Depends on the policy wording and any sub-limits
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your family is on the eligible list, or what the package amount for your treatment is this year. Package lists, rates and rules are revised, and the details change. Check them with the PM-JAY helpline or the hospital's scheme desk at the time you need treatment, not from a page written months earlier.
Who this does not apply to
If your family is not on the eligible list, the card will not help, however serious the illness. Families with employer cover, CGHS, ECHS or ESI usually go through those routes instead. If you have private insurance, read our page on whether health insurance covers liver cancer.
Who can answer properly
The scheme desk can tell you what is approved. Your oncologist can tell you which treatment fits your tumour and your liver. These are separate questions. A plan should never be chosen only because a package exists for it. At CION, the team helps with scheme paperwork and will tell you honestly which parts of a plan are likely to fall outside cover.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice.Questions we are asked
Common questions about Ayushman Bharat and liver cancer
Is liver cancer covered under PM-JAY?
Several treatments used in liver cancer have packages under the scheme, including some surgery, procedures and chemotherapy. Cover depends on the current package list and on the hospital being empanelled. Ask the scheme desk to confirm each step of your plan before treatment starts, not after.
How do I know if my family is eligible?
Check on the official PM-JAY website, through the national helpline, or at a Common Service Centre using your ration card or Aadhaar. Eligibility comes from government household data. You cannot apply to be added in the way you would apply for an insurance policy.
Does the card pay for immunotherapy or targeted therapy?
Sometimes, but often not for newer medicines. Many immunotherapy and targeted drugs fall outside the listed packages. Ask the scheme desk in writing. If they are not covered, your oncologist can explain the alternatives and what each would cost before you decide.
Is a liver transplant covered?
Transplant cover under government schemes is limited and varies by state and by year. Do not assume it is included. Ask the licensed transplant centre directly, and read our page on insurance cover for a liver transplant before you plan around any scheme.
Can I use Ayushman Bharat and Aarogyasri together?
In Telangana the two schemes work alongside each other, and the hospital usually decides which route a case goes through. You do not normally claim the same treatment twice. Bring both cards if you have them, and let the scheme desk work out the right route.
Are scans and outpatient visits covered?
Usually the scheme is built around hospital admissions and listed day-care treatment. Scans, visits and tests done before admission are often outside it. Keep every bill. Ask whether any tests can be done after the pre-authorisation so they fall inside the package.
What if my claim is rejected or delayed?
Ask the scheme desk for the reason in writing. Often a report or a document is missing and the request can be sent again. The PM-JAY helpline and the district grievance officer handle complaints. Do not stop treatment on your own while it is being sorted.
Can CION help with the scheme paperwork?
Yes. CION's team helps families with scheme paperwork and explains which parts of a plan are likely to be outside cover. Call the helpline with your card details and reports. Someone will tell you what can be checked, and who decides the rest.
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 liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
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
- American Cancer Society — Treating Liver Cancer
- American Cancer Society — Treatment of Liver Cancer, by Stage
- Cancer Research UK — Treatment for liver cancer
- MedlinePlus — Liver Transplantation
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
Does Aarogyasri cover liver cancer treatment?The Telangana state scheme, side by sideWhat Aarogyasri does not cover in liver cancerThe gaps families most often meetLiver cancer treatment cost in HyderabadWhat each option costs before any coverCashless vs reimbursementHow the money actually moves at the counter
Talk to us
Not sure what your Ayushman card will cover?
Send us your card details and reports, and we will help you work out which parts of the plan the scheme is likely to cover. One helpline serves every CION centre.