The Jakarta Post (13.04.2020) Indonesia’s preemployment card program, a social safety net offering aid similar to unemployment benefits, saw an immediate spike in interest within a few days of its launch, as 2.8 million people have lost their jobs nationwide as a result of businesses temporarily halting operations. Just a day after the program was launched on Saturday, 1.4 million people applied for benefits worth a total of Rp 3.5 million (US$223)  — to be given for four months — in the first registration phase, according to data from the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister.

thejakartapost.com (08.04.2020) The government is preparing cash aid for 4.1 million people in Greater Jakarta whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. "[The aid is to be given to] 3.7 million people in Jakarta. [Cash aid for] the other 1.1 million people is to be provided by the Jakarta administration," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Tuesday. In addition to Jakarta, the government will also distribute aid to 1.64 million people in the capital's satellite cities, such as Bogor, Depok and Bekasi in West Java, as well as Tangerang in Banten, she added.

thejakartapost.com (24.03.2020) The government has announced that it is providing full medical coverage for COVID-19 patients through the national health insurance provider, the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan).

aseanbriefing.com (27.03.2020) The government has injected 1.5 trillion rupiah (US$104 million) into its subsidized housing program which is expected to cover financing for a further 175,000 new homes. 800 billion rupiah (US$55 million) will be used to cover interest payments with the rest going to paying for subsidies.

aseanbriefing.com (10.03.2020) The government prepared funding totaling 4.6 trillion rupiah (US$324 million) for the Affordable Food Program (Sembako Murah) to boost local consumption. This program was initiated by the President during his re-election campaign in 2019 and aims to enable 15 million low-income households to purchase staple food products at discounted prices. As part of the stimulus package, low-income households will also receive 200,000 rupiah (US$13.97) per month in financial benefits, an increase from 150,000 rupiah (US$10), for the next six months.

Nikkei Asian Review (14.08.2019) Indonesia is struggling to fill a massive hole in the finances of its compulsory national health insurance system. BPJS Kesehatan, the government agency that oversees the program, has suffered deficits in five of the six years since the system was introduced to much fanfare in 2014. This year, the shortfall between spending and premium income is set to balloon to 28 trillion rupiah (nearly $2 billion), more than double the gap in 2018.

antaranews (22.07.2019) The Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) is working with the Turkish government's social security agency Sosyal Guvenlik Kurumu (SGK) to study the health insurance system from various aspects. BPJS Kesehatan President Director Fachmi Idris inked a memorandum of understanding with SGK President Director Mehmet Selim Bagli to mark the start of cooperation between the two parties at the Jakarta BPJS Kesehatan office on Monday.