Govt records show more poor entitled to health subsidy

Govt records show more poor entitled to health subsidy

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A new survey shows that the amount of poor people in the country
was 66 percent higher than was earlier predicted. Why? It emerges
that the country's poor couldn't afford to be counted in the last
survey -- because it was too expensive.

The result of the latest -- and free -- income survey has
prompted the Ministry of Health to quickly ask for more funds to
be allocated for its health subsidy.

The new data compiled by state health insurance company PT
Askes and local administrations showed there were 60 million
people eligible for the government's scheme extended to those hit
the hardest by the fuel price hikes -- not the 36 million
recorded by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) last year.

The new figure accounts for more than a quarter of the
country's population.

"While previously we relied on BPS data for the number of poor
people, now PT Askes and the local administrations compile and
validate the lists in the field," Minister of Health Siti Fadilah
Supari said.

In response to increased number of poor, the health ministry
plans to set aside Rp 3.7 trillion for their insurance fee under
the Health Care Program for the Poor.

Last year, the government spent Rp 2.1 trillion on health
subsidies for low-income groups.

The state categorizes people as poor if they earn only $1 or
less a day, while the United Nations Development Planning sets
the benchmark at $2 or less.

Under the Millennium Development Goals, Indonesia is required
to halve the poverty rate by 2015.

Fadilah said the number of poor people had risen because many
people were left unrecorded last year since they had to register
and pay administration fees to obtain health insurance cards.

"If they had to pay for the cards, how can the poor afford to
have them?" she said. "Now, they are not required to register and
we will come to them instead."

The Institute for Development of Economy and Finance (Indef)
reported that last year only 26.53 percent of the cards issued
were given to the poor, partly due to an inaccurate database.

Corrupt officials manipulating the system is the other well-
known reason why few of the target population were given cards.

PT Askes operational director I Gede Subawa said the company
had completed a national master file on the number of poor
people, which was currently in the process of validation through
field surveys with the assistance of local administrations.

He said the health insurance cards, previously valid for the
whole family, would henceforth be valid for one person only and
would bear the holder's photograph taken during the field survey.

A card-holder will be eligible for free health care in
government-run community health centers (Puskesmas), including
hospitalization in third-class wards in public hospitals.

"We hope that the distribution will be completed by June," he
said, adding that 18 million cards are ready for distribution.

Subawa said for those who had not yet acquired the new cards
could instead use the old ones, or a clarification from local
neighborhood units about their poor status.

Since the health subsidies are in the form of insurance, aside
from waiting for claims from health centers and hospitals, PT
Askes will pay Rp 1,000 per person monthly, multiplied by the
total number of poor people, Subawa said.

However, PT Askes is still waiting for payment of the premium
from the government.

"We hope that some Rp 1 trillion of the premium will be paid
this month (April)," he said, adding that the company had so far
spent Rp 30 billion to cover claims made by health centers and
hospitals. (003)