PhilHealth agrees with JV Ejercito: Increase subsidy for indirect contributors
August 15, 2024
The chief of the Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation (PhilHealth) agreed with Senator Joseph Victor "JV"
Ejercito's proposal to increase subsidies for indirect contributors until the
country's health situation normalizes.
Ejercito, who serves as vice chairperson of
the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said this will ease the burden
of premium hikes on direct PhilHealth contributors, such as regular employees
and overseas Filipino workers.
“We have to adapt to the situation as well. We
are in a crisis situation. Kailangang makabawi muna siguro ang lahat,” he said.
As principal sponsor of the UHC Law during his
first term in the Senate, Ejercito recently filed Senate No. 160, which seeks
to amend the said measure by fixing the income ceiling for premium
contributions at P40,000 as the basis for premium rates, as well as by
increasing the national government’s subsidy for indirect contributors.
Under the UHC Law, direct contributors include
regular employees, self-earning professional practitioners, migrant workers,
qualified dependents, and lifetime members.
Meanwhile, indirect contributors refer to
individuals who do not fall under any of the said categories of direct
contributors and whose premiums shall be subsidized by the national government.
“Ang proposal natin ngayon, kasi yung income
ceiling natin tumataas, yung based sa law, ang naisip ko na ngayon, itaas natin
yung sa indirect contributors, for example, yung subsidy ng national government
for indirect contributors,” he said.
“‘Tas yung sa direct contributors – these are
the employees and OFWs – we can base it on the income floor na tuloy-tuloy (na)
P10,000. Siguro, itaas nalang natin later on pag nakabawi na. And (ipatupad
ang) income ceiling na P40,000,” he added.
PhilHealth officer-in-charge Atty. Eli Dino
Santos said he personally agreed with Ejercito’s proposal.
“We subscribe to that, Sir, to that proposal.
In fact, a while ago, we discussed about the income ceiling. Personally, I
would rather that the income ceiling be increased,” he said.
Initially, the current premium scheme was
intended to help PhilHealth finance a variety of medical services that are to
be made more accessible under the UHC Law.
However, the lawmaker from San Juan City said
the rates stated in the UHC Law were based on pre-pandemic information.
“Naiintindihan naman natin ang PhilHealth kasi
kailangan niyo ring makakolekta to finance yung mga assistance. Pero everything
then was normal, when the law was being drafted. So, yung mga numbers then ay
based doon sa time na wala pa yung pandemic,” Ejercito said.
