The Aceh Provincial Government has proposed regulatory reforms for the national health insurance system to Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR RI). This proposal aims to grant regional governments the authority to establish and manage independent health insurance agencies to improve the efficiency of regional budgets, which are currently facing fiscal pressure.
Aceh Regional Secretary (Sekda), M. Nasir, conveyed the proposal on the sidelines of a working visit by Commission IX of the DPR RI at the Aceh Governor's Office in Banda Aceh. According to him, decentralizing health insurance management would help regional governments save significant budget expenditures, allowing those funds to be redirected to finance other urgent development sectors.
In this fiscal year alone, the Aceh Provincial Government had to allocate approximately IDR 550 billion for BPJS Kesehatan premiums. Since the regional health insurance program was launched back in 2010, the total funds disbursed by Aceh have reached IDR 9 trillion, a figure considered highly burdensome for the Aceh Government Budget (APBA) amidst a downward trend in Transfers to Regions (TKD) from the central government.
Responding to the proposal, Deputy Chairperson of Commission IX of the DPR RI, Muhammad Yahya Zaini, appreciated the strong commitment of the Aceh executive branch in prioritizing its citizens' health services. Nevertheless, he highlighted several poor performances in Aceh's healthcare, ranging from infant mortality rates exceeding the national target, suboptimal operations of regional hospitals, to stunting issues and a surge in measles cases due to low basic immunization coverage for children.
On the other hand, the Deputy Director of BPJS Kesehatan Region I, Mustafa, reminded that Aceh was the first province to pioneer Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Indonesia. As of June 2026, it is recorded that 5.44 million people, or approximately 95.28 percent of Aceh's total population, are protected by the National Health Insurance (JKN) program, with healthcare claim absorption in the region reaching IDR 2 trillion during the first semester of 2026.
