There should be no interruption in government health insurance services despite the lack of subsidy this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
In a meeting with the Department of Health (DOH), Marcos told Health Secretary Ted Herbosa that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth): “Make sure that services of PhilHealth remain unhampered … it (zero budget) should not affect the delivery of healthcare services.”
The president said the government is committed to prioritizing social services, focusing on key sectors such as education, health, economic services, infrastructure, and agriculture.
Public health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon has raised alarm over the state of the healthcare system, warning that it could collapse by 2028 if the administration does not provide subsidies to health insurance and fails to prioritize the health sector.
“Yung zero subsidy is actually a huge, huge, huge red flag or symbol that the priority of the government will not be on health,” Leachon said in an interview with NewsWatch Plus.
He said withholding subsidies violates provisions of the Universal Health Care Act and the sin tax reform law.
“Patuloy na lumolobo ang nagkakasakit sa heart attack, sa stroke, sa cancer, sa diabetes… Ang nagkakasakit ngayon, mahihirap at mga bata. So hindi man lang sila nagproject na hindi na ito sakit ng mayaman at ng matatanda. So dapat, mag-expand sila kasi ang nagkakasakit ngayon, 20 anyos, 30 anyos, pahirap ng pahirap, saan ka pupuhan nun? Eh wala yan mga yan HMO cards. Wala yan savings yung mga yan,” Leachon said.
[Translation: Cases of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and diabetes are growing. The ones getting sick are the poor and children. They didn’t even project that this is no longer just a disease for the rich and the elderly. So they should expand their coverage, because the ones getting sick now are 20- or 30-year-olds, and it’s becoming harder and harder for them to cope. Where will they get the money for that? These people don’t have HMO cards. They don’t have savings.]In response, the DOH pointed out the P284-billion corporate operating budget of PhilHealth this year. The budget includes a 50% hike in selected case rates and expanded benefits for key services.
“We have a surplus because of underspending on benefits over the years, which unfortunately resulted in higher out-of-pocket costs for Filipino families,” said Herbosa, who also serves as the chairman of the PhilHealth board.
