Through USAID CATALYZE Asia Social Protection (ASP) Indonesia Partnership, Three Indonesian Villages Pledge to Allocate Village Funds to Cover JKN Insurance Premiums for Low-Income Families
In Indonesia, more than 50 percent of the population works either in the informal economy, or in industries characterized by precarious employment arrangements. As a result, they typically do not have access to employment-based social protections and face significant risks when they incur health and disability costs or experience employment insecurity.
To address this, the USAID CATALYZE Asia Social Protection (ASP) Indonesia Activity collaborates with the country’s national health insurance agency (BPJS Kesehatan) and the Coordinating Ministry of Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK) to increase access to health care for informal sector workers — particularly women and other vulnerable populations — by supporting enrolment or reactivation of membership in Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN), Indonesia’s national health insurance scheme.
In the Tasikmalaya District of West Java, Indonesia, CATALYZE ASP works with local government representatives to leverage private sector funding in order to raise awareness of the benefits of maintaining JKN enrollment as well as mobilize untapped resources to cover JKN premiums.
On December 17th, CATALYZE ASP hosted a series of knowledge-sharing sessions in Cipakat Village that provided program participants and village residents — including health professionals and community workers known as cadres — with information around the importance of health insurance and practical enrollment steps.
Additionally, Cipakat committed to redirecting a portion of their village funds to cover JKN premiums for low-income families in their communities. The agreement was signed by 14 representatives of the Cipakat government and demonstrates the community’s dedication to achieving universal health coverage in Indonesia.
“I would like to express my gratitude to USAID CATALYZE,” said Yati Nurhayati, a representative from the Tasikmalaya District Health Office, who attended the event. “[We look forward to] other events like this that will help the people in Tasikmalaya District to achieve universal health care.”
According to Cipakat Village Head Dadan Ridwan, the event cleared up confusion surrounding JKN eligibility, enrollment, and how income level impacts premiums.
“Through this event, we were able to find a common ground regarding JKN payments,” he said. “We hope that in the future, people will be more aware of their [eligibility and premium fees], according to their [income level]. And those who have benefited from [CATALYZE ASP] will consistently stay involved.”
Two other villages — Sukamulya and Sukaherang — plan to follow Cipakat’s lead, with CATALYZE ASP activities such as knowledge-sharing events about JKN health insurance, financial and digital literacy skill building, orientation of village funds and mobilization of private sector funding to support premium payments kicking-off on January 23rd.
Over the life of the Activity, USAID CATALYZE ASP plans to engage with 32 private businesses and mobilize $2.9 million of private capital to promote social protection initiatives across Indonesia. As a result of these initiatives, the Activity aims to enroll 2,470 informal sector workers and family members in JKN, driving sustainable health solutions and health care access across Indonesia.
