Indonesia has experienced far reaching health care financing reforms since 2005, starting with the introduction of subsidised social health insurance for the informal sector (Askeskin and later Jamkesmas). At national level the policy debate is now focussed on formulating strategies for scaling up to universal health insurance, while at district and province level a myriad of local health financing initiatives has developed, varying greatly in scope, cover and financial resources.

I will present the research agenda and preliminary findings of an on-going research project that investigates the potential impacts of these health care reforms in terms of eliminating existing barriers to health care in Indonesia and providing effective social risk management. This project involves researchers from ANU, the SMERU Research Institute in Jakarta, and the Erasmus University Rotterdam, and focuses on three related topics:
- The financial risk of illness and health shocks for households, and the role of informal coping strategies;
- The impact of subsidised social health insurance on health care utilization and out-of-pocket health care spending;
- The effectiveness of alternative local health financing schemes for improving access to health care and financial protection from illness.