The Indonesian police (Polri) will require insurance from candidates applying for driver's licenses in a trial phase. They will check for BPJS Kesehatan health insurance or participation in the National Health Insurance (JKN) program. This requirement applies to all types of driver's licenses (SIM), including categories A, B, C, and D.
The pilot project will be conducted from July 1 to September 30, 2024, in seven regional police departments (Polda) issuing driver's licenses, including in Bali. The new rules will apply both to renewing existing licenses and obtaining new ones.
BPJS Kesehatan covers medical expenses for active JKN program participants involved in single-vehicle traffic accidents, meaning accidents not involving other vehicles. The participant and their family must report the incident to the police.
BPJS Kesehatan's Director of Participation, David Bangun, stated that citizens not enrolled in health insurance will be offered the chance to activate BPJS Kesehatan via WhatsApp PANDAWA chat or the JKN mobile app when applying for a driver's license.
"People shouldn't worry that this process will burden them or cause delays in service. During the first week, we will place BPJS Kesehatan staff at all participating police stations to inform and educate driver's license applicants. If an applicant is not yet registered in JKN, on-site staff will assist with this process. On the contrary, this should simplify the process for the public. It also ensures that all applicants are indeed active participants in the program. The JKN principle is based on mutual assistance," he was quoted as saying.
How this will affect foreign applicants is not yet clear, as obtaining BPJS insurance requires a KITAS visa.
This step aligns with Presidential Directive No. 1 of 2022. Recently, this program has had a significant positive impact on society. Hundreds of millions of people have benefited from it, avoiding financial hardships caused by high costs of unexpected medical care. Health insurance has become more accessible to low-income groups.
The new regulations by the Indonesian police are expected to raise public awareness about the necessity of having health insurance. Since social programs in Indonesia have not functioned properly in the past, the population has not been accustomed to them and has traditionally relied on traditional medicine.
These rules will also apply to vehicle registration when obtaining the STNK document.
The requirement is outlined in Indonesian Police Regulation No. 2 of 2023, which amends Regulation No. 5 of 2021 regarding the issuance and marking of driver's licenses.
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