House Commission IX Probes BPJS Kesehatan Budget Sustainability

Deputy Chairman of House Commission IX, Charles Honoris, requested a comprehensive explanation from the BPJS Kesehatan board regarding the sustainability of the National Health Insurance (JKN) programme. He reminded them of the financial projections previously discussed with the prior board. Charles also highlighted the realisation of the government’s promise to inject additional funds to strengthen BPJS Kelsehaten’s cash flow. “Including, for example, what the government has already promised, that BPJS Kesehatan will be injected with Rp20 trillion in funds,” Charles said during the Opinion Hearing Meeting of House Commission IX with the BPJS Kesehatan Supervisory Board and CEO at the Nusantara I Building, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (8/4). He also asked the board to present detailed data on participant reactivation, both for Premium Assistance Recipients (PBI), independent participants, and participants funded by local governments (PBPU-Local Government). The PDI Perjuangan faction politician also touched on the government’s budget priorities. According to his calculations, around Rp113 trillion per year is needed to cover all non-working participants so that all Indonesians can be actively covered. “Meanwhile, if we know the needs of the people today, the most basic are education and health. So I hope, as Mr Edi said earlier, the CEO can report to the President, the impact of the TKD cuts there, it’s like this,” he stated. In efforts to achieve comprehensive active participation targets, Charles assessed that central government fiscal policies often do not align with the economic conditions of the community. This has the potential to hinder access to health services, especially for those on the poverty line. “Our desire to reach a 100 percent active participation target for BPJS will be difficult due to TKD cuts. And certainly, I am sure we all here must be present, we have the same desire. We want every citizen, no reason for every citizen not to be able to seek treatment. And we must find the solution together,” he concluded.