Lawmakers in the Philippines are urging to increase the benefit packages and coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) by 30 percent.
The House Resolution No. 1900, which aims to increase PhilHealth’s benefit packages, includes vital diagnostic tests and laboratory exams like outpatient services.
According to Agri Party-List Rep. Wilbert Lee who filed the House Resolution, said that PhilHealth should “serve as the national healthcare provider” instead of an investment powerhouse.
“It is mandated and obliged to utilize most of the funds to increase the program’s benefits and decrease the amount of members’ contributions,” Lee told media reporters.
Ultimately, the House Resolution aims to lower the expenses Filipinos spend for their healthcare needs as the benefit packages and coverage of PhilHealth increases.
According to Lee, PhilHealth has substantial funds. Recently, PhilHealth transferred PHP 89.9 billion to the national treasury, which was reported to be unused and in excess. Lee said that this is proof that PhilHealth can expand its coverage and even introduce new benefits to cover more of the actual hospitalization costs.
“Imbes na sa PhilHealth bumawas ng pondo, kunin na lang sa mga GOCCs (government-owned and controlled corporations) na hindi related sa social services ang mandato at may iba pang excess funds mula sa kanilang investments at profit,” Lee said.
He also expressed his lament that PhilHealth does not cover other important healthcare services, such as PET (positron emission tomography), CT (computed tomography) scans, and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
This is not the first time Lee talked about the issue. On February 14, 2024, Lee pushed for the increase of PhilHealth benefits by 30 percent.
