DPR RI legislator warns of fiscal pressure on regional budgets due to BPJS deactivations

Gamal, a member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), has raised concerns regarding the deactivation of millions of health insurance participants under the Health Insurance Contribution Recipient (PBI-JK) scheme. This policy, resulting from a data cleansing process, is expected to place significant fiscal pressure on regional governments.

To maintain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) status, local governments may be forced to reallocate larger portions of their budgets to cover these participants through regional schemes. This is particularly challenging for regions with limited fiscal capacity or low Local Original Revenue (PAD). In Surabaya, for instance, out of 67,104 deactivated PBI-JK participants, 12,138 have been reactivated through the regional government segment.

Gamal argued that shifting the fiscal burden from the state budget (APBN) to regional budgets (APBD) while simultaneously cutting regional transfers is unwise. He emphasized the need for mature financial planning to ensure that the sustainability of UHC does not disproportionately burden regions with limited financial resources.