The incidence of this catastrophic expenditure is especially higher in families with the lowest expenditure and also in families with children and the elderly,
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chairperson of the Social Security Study Center at the University of Indonesia Aryana Satrya noted that catastrophic health spending in households with National Health Insurance (JKN) had fallen to four percent in 2019.

"For households that have JKN, the catastrophic incidence is seven percent in 2018 and four percent in 2019," Satrya noted at the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day 2022 webinar followed online here on Saturday.

The incidents among JKN members were lower than households without insurance and households covered by private insurance, he remarked.

Catastrophic spending is spending to finance health that exceeds the household's financial capacity that will exacerbate the economic stability of the household.

Overall, Satrya said the catastrophic expenditure of the Indonesian population during the 2018-2019 period decreased, from 7.9 percent to 4.4 percent.

Satrya noted that although JKN membership had reduced catastrophic health expenditure figures, participants still needed to pay out-off pocket (OOP) for health care.

Meanwhile, the catastrophic health risk is still high, especially for low-income JKN participants.

"The high incidence of catastrophes in households in rural areas must be taken seriously because it threatens the principle of equal access to health services," Satrya remarked.

In his study, he said that catastrophic spending tends to be higher in rural households as compared to urban households owing to the gap in household spending.

"The incidence of this catastrophic expenditure is especially higher in families with the lowest expenditure and also in families with children and the elderly," he stated.

Moreover, Satrya revealed that unemployed household heads tended to use catastrophic expenses that were larger than other households.

Meanwhile, users of private health services are associated with higher catastrophic spending, as they are willing to pay more to improve the quality of their health services.

"The use of private health services is also associated with much higher catastrophic spending because they are likely to be willing to pay more to improve the quality of health services they receive," Satrya noted.

Access to quality health services is one of the targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) and is one of the goals for achieving universal health coverage (UHC).

"The government needs to review capitation payments and INA-CBG (Indonesia Case Based Group) rates to ensure compliance with the actual costs of providing health services," he stated.

Related news: National Health Insurance Program coverage reaches 89% of population
Related news: GDP spending indicator of public health focus: T20
Related news: Health problems persisting despite large govt spending: official

Translator: Fitra Ashari, Katriana
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2022