Lawmakers at the House of Representative have approved a motion amending some provisions in the Universal Healthcare Law (UHC) to remove overseas Filipino workers as direct contributors to state insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability said the government agencies shall issue a separate circular regarding the premium contributions for both land-based and sea-based Filipino migrant workers.
The panel added that the new guidelines would still ensure that there’s still medical coverage for OFWs.
Under the UHC law, direct contributors as those with the means to pay premiums, are gainfully employed, and are bound by an employer-employee relationship.
Premium contributions increased from 2.75 percent to 3 percent of annual salary under this category.
The PhilHealth circular mandating the increase in premiums among OFWs received criticisms and even prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to suspend its implementation early this year.
PhilHealth says that only 320,000 OFWs are actively paying their contributions out of more than 3 million registered members.
