Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that the service system and budgeting at BPJS Kesehatan (health insurance) must be designed better, so it would offer fair services for all citizens.
“BPJS must be able to serve all Indonesian people. Ideally, BPJS should cover 270 million Indonesians, whoever they are. It is just that the BPJS must be well designed, (listing) what is covered and what are the obligations,” the minister stated here on Friday.
Sadikin stated “social security for the rich” while clarifying the remarks during a meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives last Tuesday, November 22. His statement did not mean that the BPJS should not serve the needs of affluent people.
In its place, the government and BPJS prioritized bearing additional service costs for people deemed poor in dire situations or circumstances which called for it.
The health minister cited an example in accessing generic medicines, for instance, people who are deemed capable can still be covered by BPJS. However, if one seeks non-generic medicine, then the state is no longer paying for it.
“(This is) because for non-generic medicines, people must pay themselves to get them. That is where we have to pursue justice. Poor ones really need to be paid by the state,” he remarked.
He suggested that people who were able to access it through private insurance would be connected to the health insurance system later. This is because it will prevent injustice in public services.
He stated that in concept, good social insurance should be able to cover all people from various groups, whether rich, poor, old, or young, all the way from Sabang to Merauke.
The design should be of standard build and cost that can be facilitated by state finances at a time like this, so that grouping in the system could cater to the rights of its participants regardless of their economic level.
He was concerned that if the class groupings were too many, then services would not be sustainable, as they would be costly for the state.
“Otherwise, later, it will be unfair, and the state will not be able (to cover it). This will cause problems behind it. It (BPJS) will only cover the basic health class (KDK), and above that, there are other services. The poor are covered by the government, but the rich have to buy it themselves from the private sector. Otherwise, the rich can access it, but the poor cannot,” he stated.
Source: Antara News