Jokowi's Presidential Decree Regarding BPJS Contribution Increase Again

Illustration (Photo: https. Mahkamahagung.go.id)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Dialysis Patient Community (KPCDI) is again contesting the government's policy regarding the increase in BPJS Health contributions to the Supreme Court (MA). Today, they registered a judicial review of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 64 of 2020 concerning the Second Amendment to Presidential Regulation Number 82 of 2018 concerning Health Insurance.

KPCDI's Attorney Rusdianto Matulatuwa said the reason for submitting a second BPJS judicial review was because the government was deemed to have no empathy capable of responding to the difficult situation for the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When injustice turns into a positive law, we feel obliged to fight before the law, because what we are doing to control policy becomes a necessity," Rusdianto said in a statement received by VOI, Wednesday, May 20.

Then, KPCDI will also test whether the increase in BPJS Health contributions is in accordance with the economic reality of the people affected by the corona virus outbreak.

"Right now there is a massive wave of layoffs, the rate of unemployment has also gone up. The purchasing power of the people has also decreased. The government should consider the socio-economic conditions of its citizens, instead of raising the dues recklessly," he said.

He said the government should have listened to the Supreme Court's opinion based on the results of the previous judicial decision that the root of the problem that had been neglected was the management or governance of the BPJS as a whole.

"Even though BPJS has repeatedly injected funds, but it is still a deficit. For this reason, first improve their internal management, service quality, then we will talk about dues figures. Because even though the contribution increases every year, we make sure that it will remain a deficit as long as we don't improve management governance, ”he criticized.

As previously reported, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has re-increased the BPJS Health premium for classes I and II, while class III dues will increase in 2021.

In Article 34 Paragraph 1 of the Presidential Decree states that in 2020, the tuition fees for class III participants will increase to IDR 42 thousand. However, the government provides a subsidy of Rp. 16,500, so the community only needs Rp. 25,500.

Meanwhile in 2021, the fees paid by Class III participants will be IDR 35 thousand because the government reduces the subsidy by IDR 7 thousand.

Then, Article 34 Paragraph 2 states that the premium for Class II independent participants increases to IDR 100,000 from the current IDR 50,000. Then, Paragraph 3 regulates the premium for Class I independent participants to increase to IDR 150 thousand, from the current IDR 80 thousand. This stipulation comes into force on 1 July 2020.

Previously, the government had arranged an increase in BPJS Health contributions. However, on April 1, it was lowered to the original rate again because it carried out the Supreme Court (MA) Decision Number 7 / P / HUM / 2020 which ordered the cancellation of the increase in health insurance contributions.