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If you’re moving to Indonesia, understanding the healthcare system and how you’d access healthcare is essential. Whether you’re in Bali, Lombok or Jakarta, discover everything you need to know about healthcare and health insurance in Indonesia.
Find out more about:
Megan Lewis
Senior Business Development Manager (Broker) & Technical Specialist
Indonesia’s healthcare system includes both public and private services, and expats can make use of either. The number of hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities across Indonesia is rising fast. As of 2022, Indonesia had 2,985 hospitals, of which 1,058 were public and 1,927 were private. England, by comparison, has 1,140 public hospitals.
When you receive treatment at a private hospital, you’ll enjoy a higher standard of care—much closer to the experience you’re used to in your home country. While the quality of private healthcare in Indonesia is very good compared to public hospitals, it falls behind private healthcare standards in Singapore and Malaysia.
Private hospitals in Indonesia promise shorter waiting times and better patient outcomes. They score higher in terms of emergency readiness, access to technology and medication, and English-speaking medical staff.
While certain private hospitals may be contracted by the Ministry of Health, your access to them is neither universal or guaranteed. You’ll need to pay for your treatment at private hospitals, which means paying out your own pocket or having private health insurance in place before you need treatment.
Private medical treatment in Indonesia is cheaper than treatment in Singapore, but it’s similarly priced to treatment in Malaysia and Thailand.
When you receive treatment at a public hospital in Indonesia, you will typically experience longer waiting times and lower patient outcomes. This is especially true if you live in a rural area or a remote island. Here, high-quality medical facilities are hard to come by and doctors are less likely to speak English.
Since 1968, Indonesia has provided universal healthcare through its public healthcare system, the Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS). This is paid for through a national insurance scheme called Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN). With 250 million recipients, Indonesia has the world’s largest universal healthcare system.
While standards are improving in Indonesian healthcare, it’s important to note that the quality of public healthcare across the archipelago nation is poor. Indonesia experiences problems across the entire healthcare spectrum, from low numbers of trained physicians to high infant mortality. With major hubs for private healthcare nearby in Singapore, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur, hospitals find it difficult to retain good medical staff. Further, Indonesia ranks very low in many global health indices.
Even as an expat, you can access public healthcare in Indonesia provided you have residency or a work permit that shows you will be living in the country for at least six months. However, most expats and digital nomads prefer private healthcare, which means you need deep pockets or a good health insurance policy.
Expats have a few options for accessing healthcare in Indonesia. There is, of course, the public healthcare system. But if you want access to high-quality medical treatment, you’ll need to spend some money. You can invest in good private health insurance policy, or you can pay for your treatment out your own pocket. There are a couple of ways you can go about each of these options.
You can decide against purchasing an insurance policy altogether, relying instead on the public healthcare system. Perhaps insurance premiums are too expensive, or perhaps you’re relatively young and in good health. Just remember that insurance is about risk not certainty, and that poor health can happen to anyone. Yes, insurance premiums are expensive but the cost of not having insurance can be much greater.
Self-insurance is not the same thing as no insurance. If your pockets are deep enough, you can pay yourself for your private medical treatment. In Indonesia, you can even subscribe to medical networks that will help you access treatment. They won’t pay for your treatment, but they’ll help with your admission to hospital and may be able to obtain a small discount on your treatment bills. It’s one thing, however, self-insuring against doctor visits or a broken limb. But are your pockets deep enough to cover cancer treatment or a road traffic accident?
There are several health insurance companies in Indonesia, providing cost-effective insurance policies that cover you for private medical treatment across Indonesia. Some insurance companies even have a network of hospitals and clinics. You may want to check if your policy gives you cover at the best hospitals in Jakarta, or whether the benefit sublimits give you enough cover. It may also be tricky to find an insurer with English-speaking staff. English is not widely spoken in Indonesia, and accents can be tricky when communicating! Finally, you won’t have cover outside Indonesia in countries like Singapore or Malaysia.
There are several insurance providers based in the UK, North America, and Europe (William Russell is one of them!) who provide insurance to expats living across Indonesia. Insurance policies from such providers typically cover you in Indonesia and other countries in South East Asia. You’re more likely to have an English-speaking customer service team, policy documents in English, and premiums in a western currency. International health insurance policies are more expensive than their local counterparts, but you have the financial and consumer security of a western insurance company, and most likely a better insurance product.
Let’s explore the key differences between international health insurance, a local health insurance, relying on the public healthcare system, and self-insurance.
International health insurance
Local health insurance
Relying on public healthcare
Self-insurance
The cost of private healthcare in Indonesia can be high if you pay out of pocket, which is why you may wish to choose a health insurance policy that ensures you’ll have access to private medical care when you need it. Costs will vary depending on the type of treatment you seek and the hospital you visit.
To use RS Premier Jatinegara, Jakarta (voted the best private hospital in Indonesia in 2023 by Global Health Asia Pacific) as an example, a single room costs between US$100/£80 to US$265/£210 per night. The cost of a standard medical assessment is between US$80/£65 to US$165/£135, whilst cancer screening can cost up to US$1,655/£1320.
Source: rspremierjatinegara.com
The quality of public healthcare throughout Indonesia is very poor. Indonesia experiences problems across the entire healthcare spectrum, from low numbers of trained physicians to high infant mortality. As such, Indonesia ranks low in many global health indices:
Source: World Bank / Worldometer
If you are living in Indonesia for longer than six months, you must sign up for the Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS). There are two types of BPJS schemes that you will need to apply for:
If you are working for an Indonesian employer, they should be able to help you sign up to these schemes.
If you need to enrol yourself, you can do so via the BPJS website. You may need to have access to an Indonesian bank account in order to do this.
When signing up for BPJS, you will have the choice of three tiers of national insurance. These are:
Many expats opt for Class One coverage as this will entitle you and up to three members of your family to a higher calibre of medical treatment.
Remember, you will need to apply and pay for BPJS even if you opt to take out private health insurance as well.
It is not a mandatory requirement to have health insurance to get a residency visa for Indonesia. However, most online resources seem to advise having it. The UK’s Foreign Office, for example, advises all travellers to ensure they have appropriate health insurance providing access to local treatment and includes medical evacuation insurance.
We’ve provided health insurance to expats in Indonesia for more than 30 years. We’ve worked with insurance brokers, hospitals and clinics, medical networks, and insurance companies from Jakarta to Bali and everywhere in between. Here are the main three benefits that—in our experience—expats look for when purchasing an international health insurance policy.
While Jakarta does have excellent private hospitals and clinics, expats generally prefer to receive serious medical treatment elsewhere in South East Asia. The favoured destinations are Kuala Lumpur (2h flight from Jakarta), Bangkok (3h40), and—of course—Singapore (2h). Penang in Malaysia is becoming increasingly popular among expats in Indonesia, and Australian expats may prefer to return to Western Australia.
So, most expats require an international health insurance policy that gives them full cover in Indonesia and neighbouring countries. This is one of the main reasons why international health insurance is more expensive than local health insurance.
However, cover in neighbouring countries (particularly Singapore) comes at a price. Hospitals in Singapore, and certain hospitals in Bangkok, rank among the most expensive for medical treatment costs in the world. They’re in the same class as hospitals in Hong Kong, London, and the USA.
If your policy includes full cover for treatment in Singapore, you can expect a hefty premium. But if you’re prepared to forego treatment in Singapore and rely on Jakarta and other regional hubs like Kuala Lumpur and Penang, you can reduce your premium significantly. Malaysia has excellent private healthcare, and treatment costs are far more reasonable than in Singapore.
When you apply for a policy with William Russell, you can choose from a few different coverage zones, which can help you reduce your premium.
If you’re an expat living in Indonesia, it’s important that your health insurance policy includes cover for medical evacuations. Indonesia is an archipelago nation, comprised of over 6,000 populated islands. If you find yourself living on, working on, or travelling to a rural location or remote island, you may be quite some distance from decent healthcare.
If you suffer a life-threatening medical condition, you may want the option to call for a medical evacuation that’ll take you to good hospital on a larger island.
All our plans give you full cover for emergency medical evacuation as standard. If you suffer a life-threatening or limb-threatening condition that requires urgent inpatient treatment that cannot be provided locally, we’ll arrange your evacuation to the nearest suitable location. For residents of Indonesia, this is normally Jakarta or Singapore.
We also cover the transport costs of a companion, plus any costs associated with your course of treatment, your hospital stay, and subsequent accommodation for your guest for up to 15 nights.
Expats in Indonesia prefer not to pay from their own pocket for outpatient treatment such as doctor consultations or physiotherapy. Instead, they prefer to flash their insurance membership card and have their insurance provider pay the bill directly to the clinic.
We call this service cashless access to outpatient treatment, though other providers may have a different name for it (‘direct billing’, ‘flash-the-card’).
Cashless access lets you receive outpatient treatment (e.g. a doctor visit, a specialist consultation) without paying for it from your own pocket. Instead, the clinic where you receive the treatment sends us the bill.
It’s available on all plans except Bronze (see below for information about our plans).
So those are the three main benefits that expats look for when purchasing international health insurance in Indonesia. But what else does an insurance policy give you? Here are the main features of our policies.
We’ve partnered with Fullerton to bring you access to the best hospitals and clinics in Indonesia.
Cover for doctor visits, tests, and physio on Silver and Gold plans. On Bronze, you have cover for post-hospital physio only.
We’ll arrange your evacuation if the urgent hospital treatment for a life or limb-threatening condition isn’t available locally.
Cover for when you’re admitted to hospital (including doctor fees, surgery, nursing care, theatre charges, and diagnostic tests).
Full cover for cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and genome testing of cancer cells.
When you become a member, you’ll have a dedicated contact to help you with your policy.
If you have an emergency that requires immediate assistance, call our 24-hour helpline.
Get near real-time security alerts for natural disasters and public safety incidents near your current location.
Annual benefit limit
Some of the benefits have waiting periods. For full information, visit our comparison page.
Our health insurance policies are international, which means you have cover both across Indonesia and in countries outside Indonesia. When you apply for a policy, you choose your coverage zone. Your coverage zone defines those countries and regions outside Indonesia where you have full cover for medical treatment, where you have restricted cover for medical treatment, and where you have no cover at all. For expats in Indonesia, there are four options to choose from.
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 7
Find out more about our coverage zones.
Though we hope you will choose William Russell, we cannot advise you on which health plan to purchase. We can provide you with information about the plans and common insurance strategies adopted by our members over the years, together with example premiums for those strategies. This might give you a useful starting point on your insurance journey. If you need professional advice, you’ll need to contact an insurance broker.
Some members only want insurance cover for serious medical conditions such as cancer, strokes, and heart disease, or if they’re hospitalised following a road traffic accident or similar. Generally speaking, these members aren’t particularly bothered about paying from their own pocket for the occasional doctor visit or health check-up. Rather, they’re mainly concerned with insuring the things they couldn’t afford.
These members typically purchase a Bronze plan, which gives them cover for inpatient treatment only. They’ll often pair their Bronze plan with a higher excess. This keeps their premiums reasonable, without significantly compromising their cover should the worst happen and they suffer a serious medical condition.
Here are some example premiums for members adopting an insure what you cannot afford strategy.
Some members want insurance cover because they don’t want to pay a penny for their medical treatment. Rather, they want their insurance provider to cover everything. This is a legitimate approach, and we have options to help members follow such a comprehensive cover strategy.
These members typically purchase a Silver or Gold plan, which gives them cover for inpatient and outpatient treatment plus cover for annual check-ups. If members are on a tighter budget, they might choose the SilverLite plan, which dispenses with some of the bells and whistles that members can expect from a Silver or Gold plan.
They typically pair their plan with a nil excess or low excess.
It’s worth noting that comprehensive cover translates into higher premiums. To give you an idea, here are some pricing examples for a comprehensive cover strategy.
The Gold plan is the only plan with benefits for childbirth and routine maternity care. So if you’re planning to start a family and you want you to give birth at a good private hospital in Jakarta, the mother will need the Gold plan. Though it’s our most expensive plan, the good news is that the father and children (if you’re including them on your policy) can choose a different, cheaper plan.
Here are some example premiums for a member on the Gold plan pursuing a family strategy.
If you’re flitting between Indonesian islands and across South East Asia, your priority might be keeping costs low.
A good place to start is our Bronze and SilverLite plans, which are the cheapest we offer. The Bronze plan gives you cover for inpatient treatment only, which you’d need if you were diagnosed something serious like cancer or if you were involved in a big road traffic accident. The SilverLite plan adds basic cover for outpatient treatment such as physiotherapy and doctor visits.
You can pair your plan with a higher excess and/or cheaper coverage zone, which will further reduce your premiums.
Here are some example premiums for members pursuing a digital nomad strategy.
It’s a fact of life that health insurance premiums get more expensive as we get older. Even if you are fit and in good health, our data tells us that seniors and retirees require more healthcare on average.
When standard premiums are high, most of our members look for ways to reduce their premium. Often this means prioritising cover for serious medical conditions such as cancer and strokes, while compromising on cover for outpatient benefits like doctor visits and reducing the geographical scope of their policy.
Our senior members typically purchase a Bronze plan, which gives them cover for inpatient treatment only. They’ll often pair their Bronze plan with a higher excess and a restrictive coverage zone. This keeps their premiums reasonable, without significantly compromising their cover should the worst happen and they suffer a serious medical condition.
Here are some example premiums for members pursuing a senior strategy.
These premium examples are indicative, and are subject to your personal circumstances and your application. You can add family members to your policy.
It’s a good idea—although not essential—to take out international health insurance before you arrive in Indonesia. This is because you may not be entitled to public healthcare when you first arrive. Thankfully, taking out international health insurance with William Russell is easy. You can do it today in just four steps.
We offer 3 health plans, each with different levels of cover and different prices. Compare them to find the plan that’s right for you.
We’ll ask you a few details (your age, your location), and then we’ll show you prices. It only takes a few minutes. A couple of days after your quote, someone from our team will email or call you to find out how we can help you further! They won’t bug you, and you can opt out at any time.
Once you’ve found your right plan, simply complete our digital application form. We’ll ask you a few questions about your health, occupation, and lifestyle. You’ll also need to declare any pre-existing medical conditions.
Once we’ve reviewed your application, we’ll decide the terms on which we can offer you a policy. We’ll send you a formal acceptance invitation, which doubles as a premium invoice. If you accept the terms we’re offering, all you need to do is pay your premium. Your policy and cover begin as soon as we receive your premium, at which point we’ll send you your policy documents.
We want to provide you with an insurance policy you can rely on, so it is important that you fully understand the scope of the cover we provide. You can find answers to the most common questions about international health insurance in Indonesia below, but feel free to get in touch and speak to a member of our award-winning team. We’d be glad to help.
Yes. You have cover in all cities, towns, and islands of the Indonesian archipelago. You also have full cover at all hospitals and clinics across Indonesia.
Yes. We have an insurance policy for Indonesian citizens who live in Indonesia, or who spend most of their time in Indonesia.
Yes. Most of our members reside permanently in a foreign country. But we do provide policies to digital nomads and backpackers who expect to spend at least 6 months of the year travelling outside their home country.
If you only intend to stay in Indonesia for a short period as part of a longer journey through the region, you might be interested in our Zone 7 option. This gives you full cover for medical treatment and emergency medical evacuation in most South East Asian countries, and is extremely cost effective.
You must be under age 76 when your policy starts, but once your policy starts you can renew it for as long as you need it—even if your health deteriorates.
We do not typically cover pre-existing medical conditions and related conditions. But that doesn’t mean you cannot apply for a policy if you have pre-existing conditions.
When you apply for a policy, we ask you to complete a medical questionnaire. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, we may exclude that condition from cover or we may cover the condition but increase your premium accordingly. If you suffered your pre-existing medical condition a long time ago, we may agree to cover it without a premium increase.
You can choose to pay your premium in US dollars, pounds sterling, or Euros. You can pay by credit or debit card, bank transfer, cheque, or direct debit (if you pay your premium in pounds sterling). Our payment frequency options are annual, half-yearly, quarterly, or monthly. Paying your premiums annually is the cheapest option.
As soon as your policy starts, we’ll cover you for eligible medical treatment. Some benefits, however, have a waiting period. This means you cannot claim for medical treatment under these benefits until the waiting period (usually a number of months) has expired. It’s also important to note that your policy doesn’t cover pre-existing medical conditions, which are medical conditions that existed before the start date of your policy.
It takes 2 minutes to get a price on our quick quote tool. You can apply there and then using our digital application form, which will take you between 10-20 minutes. Once you’ve submitted your application, it normally takes us about 2 working days to get your policy started.
No. There’s no requirement to have health insurance prior to your arrival in Indonesia. You can purchase your policy before you arrive, or once you’re settled in.
International health insurance gives you comprehensive cover for medical treatment when you’re living and working in a foreign country. Travel insurance is designed for short trips to one or more countries. With travel insurance, you’ll get cover for lost luggage, flight delays and cancellations, and legal costs, plus a few benefits for medical treatment.
We’ve been working with our partner LGI since 2017 to design and offer compliant expat insurance for people and companies living and working in Indonesia. Plans are designed by William Russell Ltd and are insured and underwritten by PT Lippo General Insurance Tbk.
William Russell was one of the first insurance providers to cover people living abroad, and we’ve earned a reputation for outstanding customer experience.
When you purchase a policy from William Russell, you can be sure there’ll always be money to pay your claims. The insurer behind our health insurance is a company in the Allianz group, one of the largest financial services companies in the world.
We have independently verified reviews from over 1,000 of our members, and we win prestigious awards for our outstanding customer service. When you purchase a policy, you’ll be assigned your own dedicated policy manager as your main point of contact at William Russell.
Unlike other providers, we don’t tell you where you have to go for medical treatment. You can choose any doctor at any hospital in your coverage zone. And if you don’t know where to go, we’ll help you find a suitable hospital for your treatment.
William Russell have always been very sympathetic and extremely helpful. I never had any issues with William Russell – Reimbursements/Letters of Guarantee were always prompt. It was an excellent service – no issues, no questions and no delays.
I felt really, really supported, being able to write an email and knowing the person I sent it to was the one who would read and reply to it. I feel appreciated for being a member for so many years. And now that I’ve retired, I’ve even been given a discount on my health insurance package, which I’m grateful for.
What comes across strongest is the humanitarian aspect of William Russell…. always looking for the best treatment options for its members and not being too concerned with the cost issues. Had I not been air evacuated to the Nairobi Hospital when I was, I very likely would not have been around today. Thank you William Russell.
I liked that I could speak to a human being at the end of the phone. I just prefer dealing with someone directly. For me, in particular, it was very important to deal with someone regulated by a regulator as recognised and reputable as the FCA (the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK).
What makes William Russell stand out from other providers is their great service, international coverage, and the ability to pick the plan that fit our lifestyle. When we first signed up we were dating and traveling the world, then married and pregnant, and now have two beautiful boys and we have been able to pick plans that best suit our needs.
If you’re not happy with your health insurance policy or the service we provide, and you haven’t yet made a claim, then we’ll refund the premium you’ve paid—no questions asked.
We put our members at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud of our award-winning customer service and our members rate it highly.
The insurer behind our policies is an insurance company in the Allianz group – one of the world’s largest financial services groups.
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