Caltex retired workers protest their health insurance coverage
Saturday, December 16 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
More than 1,500 retired workers from oil and gas giant PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia (CPI) have protested the change in their health insurance coverage that has been provided by PT Asuransi Jiwa Tugu Mandiri (AJTM).
The head of the Association of Caltex Retired Workers, Moeslim Roesli, told Riau Pos on Friday that AJTM had run away from its responsibility in providing health insurance coverage for Caltex retired workers.
"Whatever the reasons presented by AJTM, we cannot accept them. We do not want to be victimized," he said.
Moeslim explained that AJTM had violated its own promises stipulated in the policy held by Caltex management for the retired workers.
He explained in 1993 AJTM offered health insurance coverage for Caltex retired workers along with their family members through a program called Prokespen.
But in 1996, AJTM arbitrarily changed the coverage program by reimbursement system, that covered only 80 percent of all health spending of Caltex retired workers.
But starting September, 1999, AJTM arbitrarily suspended the reimbursement for all health spending claims by Caltex retired workers.
Even worse, in May, 2000, AJTM stopped paying all health claims from Caltex retired workers saying that it was gong bankrupt. And the insurance company will disband altogether the program starting Dec. 31, 2000.
But Caltex management stepped in, and reached a deal with AJTM. AJTM then agreed to continue providing health insurance coverage to Caltex retired workers through a program called Dakespen.
But according to Moeslim, Dakespen gave lower insurance coverage to its policy holders than the Prokespen program did, and therefore Caltex retired workers refused to accept the Dakespen program.
Moeslim said that his association demanded Caltex to force AJTM to provide the same insurance coverage as it promised in the beginning. Pending the negotiation, Moeslim suggested that Caltex accommodate sick retired workers at its hospital.
Meanwhile, the head of AJTM Pekanbaru, Heru Aksoro, said that his insurance company would not run away from responsibility.
He said that those who could not accept the Dakespen program could come to AJTM office and collect the premiums they had paid to the insurance firms. (*)