TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Ministry has prepared Rp13 trillion to help the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) cut its deficit. Deputy Finance Minister Mardiasmo said that the budget will be earmarked to raise the premium of the Contribution Assistance Recipients (PBI) participants.

“We provide aid for central and regional PBI. The funds have been listed to State Budget (APBN). We will cover the payment for PBI participants starting August,” said Mardiasmo in the Parliament complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Monday, September 2.

He outlined Rp9.2 trillion will be used to pay the PBI premium covered by the central administration, and the remaining Rp3.34 trillion for those covered by the regional administrations.

The government earlier planned to raise the PBI premium from Rp23,000 to Rp42,000 in a bid to overcome the agency’s deficit that reached up to Rp32.8 trillion.

The state-owned insurance body president director, Fachmi Idris, said that the deficit will possibly be higher over the years if the government did not raise the premium, up to Rp39.5 trillion in 2020, Rp50.1 trillion in 2021, Rp58.6 trillion in 2022, Rp67.3 trillion in 2023, and Rp787.9 trillion in 2024.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani in the previous meeting said the government also planned to increase the BPJS Kesehatan premium of participants Class I from Rp80,000 to Rp160,000 per month, Class II from Rp51,000 to Rp110,000 per month, and Class III from Rp25,000 to Rp42,000 per month.

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