BPJS Health Membership at a Crossroads: Between Reactivation and Ground Checks

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - More than 11 million participants under the Premium Assistance Recipients (PBI) programme of BPJS Health were deactivated at the beginning of 2026 and are now starting to be reactivated following data improvements by the government. The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) stated that the number of BPJS Health participants reactivated reached 2.15 million. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said that membership reactivation is being pursued through various schemes, including direct reactivation, transfer of premiums to local governments, or shifting from PBI status to independent segments or formal worker participants. In detail, 300,000 participants have returned to being covered under the Premium Assistance Programme (PBI), 1.4 million participants have been taken over by local governments, and the remainder have registered for independent membership. This places BPJS Health membership at a crossroads: between the need to maintain access to services and the demand to ensure aid is targeted correctly. The number of reactivations was also debated in a meeting of Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) with Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf and Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin. Lawmakers questioned the fate of memberships that have not yet been reactivated. At least from the initial number, there are still 8 million memberships in a “grey zone”. Nevertheless, the government assures that millions of unverified individuals will still receive health access if they need medical services. This decision has been agreed upon with the House of Representatives (DPR RI) in a joint meeting. “With that, we hope that all hospitals can continue to provide services, if there are beneficiaries who have been deactivated,” said Gus Ipul when met in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/4/2026). His side is also coordinating with the Ministry of Health and BPJS Health regarding its funding. “The main point is that we want to continue providing support for citizens who want to receive treatment, medication, and medical procedures according to their needs,” said Gus Ipul.