Fadli Zon Calls BPJS Health Management Amateur

Fadli Zone/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 1 of 2022 concerning Optimizing the Implementation of the National Health Insurance Program has recently received a lot of attention from the public. This is because the Presidential Instruction, which was signed on January 6, makes BPJS Health membership a mandatory requirement in managing a number of public services, ranging from SIM, STNK, SKCK, business permits, buying and selling land, going on Hajj, Umrah, to immigration matters.

Member of the government coalition DPR from the Gerindra faction, Fadli Zon, said the Presidential Instruction was very unfair to the people. He assessed that on the one hand, the community would be forced to become BPJS participants, but the system and the benefits of BPJS services themselves are still constantly changing.

"We remember that in October 2019, President Joko Widodo issued Presidential Regulation No. 75 of 2019 which regulates the increase in BPJS Class I premiums from Rp. 80 thousand to Rp. 160 thousand per month; Class II from Rp. 51 thousand to Rp. 110 thousand per month; and Class III from Rp. 25,500 to Rp. 42 thousand per month. However, in April 2020, the Presidential Regulation was declared invalid, so the BPJS contribution amount returned to the same as regulated by Presidential Decree No. 82 of 2018, namely the tariff before the increase occurred," said Fadli in a press release received by Voi.id, Sunday, February 27.

Strangely, he continued, in May 2020 the President again issued Presidential Decree No. 64 of 2020, which revises BPJS Health contributions which will take effect from July 1, 2020, where Class I contributions are set to be Rp. 150 thousand; Class II Rp100 thousand; and Class III Rp42 thousand. Dismantling regulations in just a matter of months is of course very confusing for BPJS participants.

“Most recently, the Government plans to abolish BPJS inpatient classes, but until now participants are still being charged a class-based fee. This is not fair to participants who pay more premiums. It could be that participants have been paying Class I fees, but when it's their turn to claim benefits, they can only claim the standard of hospitalization which currently belongs to Class II," he said.

According to him, in the last ten years, he has seen that the BPJS management is still disassembly and amateurish. On the one hand, he continued, from the contribution aspect he wanted to be maximized, but the benefits aspect was constantly being corrected.

“If the government works like that, how will people be interested in participating? Another point that is also unfair is regarding migrant workers. Presidential Instruction No. 1 of 2022 requires migrant workers to be active BPJS participants while abroad. This is weird. On the one hand, migrant workers are required to become BPJS participants, but BPJS services themselves cannot reach them," he said.

"I see that this Presidential Instruction was issued solely to pursue and collect as much public funds as possible. Starting from the issue of JHT (Old Age Security) funds at BPJS Employment, to BPJS Health participation requirements in Presidential Instruction No. 1 of 2022, the main issue is not really protecting and guaranteeing people's rights, but the state is turning its people into cash cows to maintain the government's monetary and fiscal balance," he concluded.