BPJS Kesehatan Is Ready To Guarantee Costs For COVID-19 Patients, Provided There Is A Special Presidential Decree From The President

Illustrated. (Irfab Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - After being declared a pandemic, the spread of the corona virus or COVID-19 in various countries has become more massive, including in Indonesia. Currently, the number of positive patients with COVID-19 continues to grow, the most infected area is DKI Jakarta. Because of this, BPJS Kesehatan is ready to disrupt the costs of patients due to the virus.

President Director of BPJS Kesehatan Fachmi Idris said, according to regulations, BPJS Kesehatan is prohibited from guaranteeing health services due to the outbreak. This regulation is contained in Presidential Decree Number 82 of 2018.

Article 52 regulates health services that are not guaranteed by the National Health Insurance program administered by BPJS Kesehatan. Then, in Article 52 letter O, regarding health services that are not guaranteed, namely due to disasters during the emergency response period, extraordinary events or epidemics.

However, Facmhi said, the COVID-19 virus outbreak is different from natural disasters. This virus outbreak is massive, spreading speed, nationalizing, and swelling.

This is, for example, different from other outbreaks such as Dengue Fever which are also directly funded by the state. The technical mechanism has been running well so far.

Meanwhile, for handling COVID-19, Fachmi said, there were many questions and even complaints from health facilities and local governments about the financing mechanism for COVID-19 patients. This raises technical problems in the field related to certainty of financing.

"The question from the regional government and health facilities is something reasonable. They need certainty. This is related to funds. The government could provide certainty about the mechanism and procedures, as well as administration and verification," said Fachmi, in Jakarta, Thursday, March 19.

Fachmi said the government could assign this task to BPJS Kesehatan. As an institution whose main task is to provide health insurance services, BPJS Kesehatan already has standard procedures, organizational coverage throughout Indonesia, and human resources. Therefore, BPJS Kesehatan can be a ready solution.

"The solution is simple. Complete the legal aspects. There needs to be a special discretion so that Article 52 Letter O can be breached. This is enough with a Presidential Instruction or a special Presidential Decree, which authorizes BPJS Kesehatan to cover funding for health services for COVID-19 patients," he explained.

Furthermore, said Fachmi, BPJS Kesehatan will carry out reimbursement or invoices to the government, or through other mechanisms that are regulated internally by the government.

"To be sure, health facilities have" counters "to collect, in this case BPJS Kesehatan. Because the epidemic situation will eventually have a time limit. The Presidential Instruction and the special Presidential Decree could have a limited validity period and with a specific purpose," he said.

The new role of BPJS Kesehatan, said Fachmi, is very much in line with the president's direction, that in the current situation, all parties must work together, work hand in hand and unite against the COVID-19 virus.

Previously, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati admitted that she was preparing a draft Presidential Regulation to replace the Presidential Decree on Health Insurance which was canceled by the Supreme Court.

Later, said Sri Mulyani, the new Presidential Decree will also provide certainty for BPJS Health and hospitals in dealing with COVID-19.

"As is well known, the Supreme Court (MA) canceled the Presidential Decree which caused the condition of the BPJS (Health) to be uncertain from the financial side," he said in the APBN presentation on the Ministry of Finance's Youtube, Wednesday, March 18.

Because, said Sri Mulyani, without being covered by BPJS Health, the hospital was under great pressure in its efforts to handle COVID-19 patients.

As is known, the government through Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto has issued a decision to cover the cost of health services for COVID-19 patients.

Decree of the Minister of Health Number HK.01.07 / Menkes / 104/2020 concerning the Determination of Corona Virus Infection as a Disease that Can Cause Outbreaks and the prevention of it was signed by the Minister of Health on February 4, 2020.