Insurance (Asuransi)
It is said that most Balinese did not care to have health insurance in the old days.
It was probably because there were only a few kinds of ‘serious illness’: mostly ‘illness’ was due to black magic or hallucination (kepangor) which means that the cure process didn’t cost much nor was it complicate. Anyone who suffered from black magic was brought to a balian (shaman) with a small offering (pejati) and a small fee (sesari) for the shaman.
As for those with hallucinations (kepangor); the family only needed to apologize to the gods (guru piduka) who might feel ‘insulted’. They also needed to give a small fee (sesari) to the temple priest to have the holy water (tirta) which had been ‘blessed’ by the gods (wangsuh pada).
“If the gods were All Merciful, then one would get well, but if the gods were bad tempered and revengeful, one would die”, says I Made Katulebo (I Made Scorpion) laughingly.
The process was not complicated and the result was fast: that’s why they didn’t need health insurance.
A Balinese did not need life insurance either. When he died, everything would be taken care by the banjar (village community). He would get his grave at the cemetery. If his family could not afford a cremation, the village council would be responsible for the cremation of the corpse.
“The banjar was responsible for everything, from the beginning, when one dies until one becomes ‘deified’ ancestor. So one needs not worry,” adds I Made.
Everyone nods but doesn’t give any comment. They are all thinking about what would happen to their savings if had an insurance agent whose manager was been busted by the police.
These days one needs health insurance more than before as there are more and more kinds of illness, such as cancer, rabies, etc. The strange thing is the ‘illness’ the legislative members suffer from that make them enjoy going anywhere they want for a holiday (using other people’s money). Another ‘strange illness’ is the president and ministers suffer from, that is ‘dirty mouth’ (bungut maong) which makes them talk bullshit that is not funny at all but brings more problems instead.
“Even though such an ‘illness’ does not make a legislative member, minister or the president die, it does make people sick—of their attitude—and get depressed.”
Modern medication is very complicated and expensive too: and results often take time.
“A patient might have medical treatment in a Public Health Centre (Puskesmas) for one week, then another week in a local general hospital; next he will be sent to Sanglah Hospital. He might be there for another week. After one month, he might die.”
We may describe the situation like this: the sick person (patient) may die, and his family will bear a big debt from the hospital charge, doctor’s fee, medicine and ambulance which sometimes costs one a plot of land. That’s why health insurance becomes more and more important (for Balinese).
Today, even when one dies, a large amount of money is still needed for a funeral. It will be even more costly when one wants to be buried like a high ranking official whose graves are concreted with marble veneers. And it will be even much more if one wants to have a huge cremation like the cokordas (kings), with huge cremation tower (bade), and coverage by television stations. Another cost arises when one has problems with the village during one’s life. When one dies, one’s family must pay an amount (penanjung batu) to the village council) to ‘solve’ the problem. Otherwise, his corpse will not be taken care of by the villagers.
“You need to have life insurance too, so when you die you don’t give problem to your brothers—so they can ‘share’ the funds as well, happily.”
I Made talks too much. Everyone gets upset.
“You talk too much, De. The most important thing now is how the people (krama) can get their money back from the illegal insurance company,” asks I Wayan Sigug Segul (I Wayan Always Complains to Something He doesn’t like).
I Made just smiles.
Well, in this case, I have no solution. But I know how to prevent people from putting their money in this kind of insurance company. They have to join the insurance which is called “Common Sense and Not Greedy Insurance.” Balinese have been cheated several times — there was KKM before, now Balicon — it all happens because they don’t use their common sense and are too greedy in wanting some profit without working hard.”
