Health Insurance Coverage of the Poorest Residents in 2021

Health insurance is expected to reduce the risk of individuals incurring large expenses when they fall ill. However, the poorer the population in Indonesia, the lower the percentage of health insurance ownership.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that only 60.22% of the very poor population (quintile 1) and 64.24% of the population in quintile 2 had health insurance in 2021. This figure contrasts sharply with health insurance ownership among the wealthiest population.

A recorded 79.13% of the population in quintile 5 had health insurance. Meanwhile, 71.07% of the population in quintile 4 and 67.14% in quintile 3 had health insurance.

This needs attention, considering that health insurance ownership is positively correlated with the utilization of health services. This can be seen from research in America showing that individuals without health insurance are more likely to delay seeking healthcare. As a result, someone might be late in treating their illness due to delaying seeking healthcare.

The government itself has provided services intended for the less fortunate to have health insurance. This service is called BPJS Kesehatan Penerima Bantuan Iuran (BPJS Health Recipient of Contribution Assistance).

Health insurance from BPJS Kesehatan PBI is the most widely used in Indonesia, accounting for 38.46% in 2021.