lients of the national health insurance may rejoice at the Supreme Court’s ruling annulling a sharp increase in the premiums they had to pay, but hospitals say the decision could hurt their already dire financial situation with many bills unpaid.
No one would say it outright, but health services at these hospitals would inevitably be affected unless the government comes up with a quick answer on how to plug the huge deficit besetting the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan).
In January, the company owed hospitals Rp 14 trillion (US$959 million).
The court last week granted victory to a group of petitioners who had challenged Presidential Regulation No. 75/2019 that almost doubled premiums across all service tiers.
BPJS Kesehatan has been collecting the higher premiums since January, namely Rp 160,000 for the first-class membership, Rp 110,000 for the second and Rp 42,000 for the third class.
While the government has said it will comply with the court’s ruling, it has not come up with any plan on how to cover the ever-growing deficit.
The government and private hospitals providing health care services for BPJS Kesehatan now face uncertainty as to whether and when they will be paid for services already rendered.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.