The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth will soon come up with additional benefits for its contributors under the Universal Healthcare Law (UHC).
However, contributors will soon pay higher premiums in the government insurance system by next year.
Under the UHC, PhilHealth is mandated to impose a 0.25 percent premium rate increase. This means that the annual contribution would reach Php21,600.00.
The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) also covered Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
OFWs who are currently paying a fixed amount of Php2,400 per year will have to pay a higher premium next year once the UHC has rolled out.
Under the law, from 2020 to 2024, an individual who earns Php10,000 a month and pays Php3,600 yearly will have to pay Php6,000 annually.
OFW advocates have expressed concerns on the IRR saying that PhilHealth premium and membership will be connected to the issuance of Overseas Employment Certificates or exit clearances.
Under the IRR, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or OWWA will be tasked to ensure that land-based overseas Filipino workers, whether new hires or returning, pay their PhilHealth premiums prior to issuance of the overseas employment certificate.
OFW groups warned that if this rule pushes through, more Filipinos will be forced to work abroad illegally.
