February 7, 2026 | 11:47 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Approximately 11 million of the health insurance contribution aid beneficiaries (PBI-JK) were deactivated as of February 1, 2026. The President Director of the Healthcare and Social Security Organizing Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), Ali Ghufron Mukti, stated that the deactivation aligned with the Social Affairs Ministry's data updating process on citizens' economic status.
"More than 10 million or about 11 million people are considered ineligible, so their participation was deactivated," said Ghufron when contacted on Friday, February 6, 2026.
According to him, participants who do not meet the criteria will be replaced by other eligible individuals, as per the regulations. Ghufron emphasized that the total number of health insurance contribution recipients registered in BPJS Kesehatan did not change, remaining at 96.8 million people. "The PBI-JK data remains the same, only a portion is considered ineligible," he said.
Dozens of Patients Denied Life-Saving Treatment
The sudden change in PBI-JK recipient data has recently sparked controversy, especially after affecting lifesaving treatment for kidney failure patients. The Indonesian Kidney Dialysis Patient Community (KPCDI) reported that at least 30 kidney failure patients were held up at hospital registration counters because their BPJS Kesehatan membership was suddenly deactivated.
"It's a matter of life and death," he said in an official statement on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
Although some were successfully restored following administrative re-evaluation, Tony highlighted systemic failures in the data verification process at the Ministry of Social Affairs that could have fatal consequences for patients.
"Reactivation Possible"
On a separate occasion, Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf stated that deactivated participants are welcome to apply for reactivation given they are still eligible for the health insurance.
However, as the reactivation process takes place, Saifullah urged hospitals and healthcare facilities not to reject health insurance contribution recipients in need of dialysis treatment or urgent medical services.
"I have coordinated with the Minister of Health and the President Director of BPJS Kesehatan. We have a solution in place. In principle, hospitals must not refuse dialysis patients because this service cannot be delayed," said Saifullah, familiarly known as Gus Ipul, when met at the Ministry of Social Affairs office on Thursday, February 5, 2026.
BPJS Kesehatan Not Authorized to Decide Who Receives Health Insurance
In response to complaints that some deactivated participants come from underprivileged backgrounds, Ali Ghufron Mukti emphasized that BPJS Kesehatan is not authorized to determine who is eligible to receive the health insurance. This lies entirely in the hands of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Currently, the government is undergoing a major change in the social assistance recipient data through the implementation of the National Single Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN). This is used as a single reference for all government aid programs.
In the single data scheme, the community is classified based on economic capability, ranging from the 1st decile as the most underprivileged group, to the 10th decile as the most privileged group. This major data change caused a number of PBI-JK to be removed from the recipient list.
3 Criteria for Activating Health Insurance Contribution Recipient Status
The Head of Public Relations at BPJS Kesehatan, Rizzky Anugerah, stated that PBI-JK participants can reactivate their membership if they meet several criteria.
First, the participant must be included in the list of deactivated PBI-JK recipients in January 2026. Second, based on field verification, the participant falls under the category of poor and vulnerable to poverty. Third, the participant suffers from chronic diseases or is facing a life-threatening medical emergency.
To reactivate, they must report to the Social Affairs Office with a letter requesting healthcare services, which will then submit it to the Ministry of Social Affairs for verification. If they pass verification, BPJS Kesehatan will reactivate the participant's health insurance membership.
Dede Leni Mardianti, Dinda Shabrina, and Ilona Estherina contributed to the writing of this article.
Read: Indonesia Revokes Subsidized Health Coverage for 11 Million Beneficiaries
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