Government Emphasizes that PBI Quota and Budget of BPJS Will Not Be Cut

Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos) Saifullah Yusuf or Gus Ipul (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The government ensures that there is no reduction in quotas or budgets for BPJS Health Fee Assistance Recipients (PBI). The deactivation of a number of participants that has occurred recently is emphasized as part of the process of verifying and validating data so that assistance is targeted.

Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf emphasized that hospitals should not reject patients, including PBI participants of BPJS Kesehatan. If there are administrative issues or inactive membership status, this can be resolved through a reactivation mechanism.

"The principle is that there should be no patient rejection. If there are administrative problems, they can be reactivated," said Saifullah at the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) office, Wednesday, February 11.

Saifullah explained that throughout 2025 the government transferred more than 13 million beneficiaries in order to update national data. Some participants were disabled because they no longer met the criteria for assistance recipients.

Some have switched to becoming self-sufficient participants with a contribution of around Rp. 42,000 per month, and some of their membership is borne by the local government.

He emphasized that since the issuance of Presidential Instruction Number 4 of 2025 concerning the National Social and Economic Single Data (Inpres DTSEN), the management of national social and economic data is now under the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), replacing the previous system which was managed separately by ministries and local governments.

"The data is dynamic, it can change at any time. Someone dies, is born, moves, or the economic conditions rise and fall. In relation to this, a consolidation and ground check is carried out with the local government and the Ministry of Social Affairs," he explained.

The government together with the DPR has agreed on an automatic reactivation policy for three months. This policy gives time for the re-verification process with the Central Bureau of Statistics and local governments.

Saifullah ensured that this step would not have an impact on reducing the budget or quota of the PBI BPJS Kesehatan. "The allocation remains. The arrangement is carried out so that those who receive are really people in need," he said.

For people who experience verification problems or inactive status, the government opens various channels for complaints and reactivation, including through RT/RW, sub-districts, to social services, the 021-1771 call center (24 hours), the Ministry of Social Affairs WhatsApp service, the Cek Bansos application through the proposal and objection features, as well as social companions and village operators.

With the arrangement of data based on BPS, the government hopes that the PBI BPJS Kesehatan program will be more targeted without reducing the rights of poor and vulnerable people to health services.