Suspend hike in PhilHealth contributions – JV

MANILA, Philippines — Any increase in members’ contribution to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) must be put on hold until the COVID-19 pandemic is over, former senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said over the weekend.

Ejercito, principal sponsor and author of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, said the government should defer the implementation of PhilHealth’s new contribution schedule as Filipinos are still heavily burdened with financial difficulties due to the pandemic.

“Let’s suspend first (contribution increases). We can make adjustments (to PhilHealth’s finances) later,” said the former lawmaker, who is campaigning for a comeback in the Senate.

He said the state-run insurance program can source funds from sin taxes and collections made by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

He said contributions are not the only source of PhilHealth’s financing but also taxes from tobacco products, alcohol and sugar-based drinks.

He said the social fund of PAGCOR and PCSO should also be channeled to the UHC program so that people do not have to line up in these agencies to get financial assistance for their medical expenses.

“Their (PAGCOR and PCSO) funds should already be ready in hospitals,” Ejercito said.

Through these sources of funding, he said the UHC Law was able to expand the health care packages that members are entitled to, especially when the pandemic struck.

Nearly all COVID-19 patients are now covered by PhilHealth from P30,000 to as much as P800,000, depending on the severity of the case, he said.