AMID the continued detrimental impact of high inflation in the country, AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to implement a minimum 20% across the board increase in its offered health benefits.
At the 1st National Credit Surety Fund Cooperative Congress held in Cebu City, the solon from Bicol on Tuesday said “natutuwa tayo na pinakinggan ng PhilHealth ang panawagan natin noong nakaraang budget hearing na palawakin ang mga benepisyong ipinagkakaloob nila.”
“Pero imbes na mga piling sakit lang ang dagdagan ng suporta ng PhilHealth, dapat magkaroon ng pagtaas sa lahat ng sinasagot nitong bayarin sa pagpapa-ospital ng mga miyembro.”
Recently, PhilHealth increased the coverage of several of its benefit packages for its members, which include high-risk pneumonia and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
“These increases and expanded health benefits are urgently needed as PhilHealth’s case rates are no longer responsive to the hospitalization cost. Napakalaki pa rin ng binabayaran ng mga pasyente sa pagpapa-ospital,” lamented Lee.
He pointed out that “kung kaunti na lang ang nabibili ngayon ng dating binubudget para sa pagkain dahil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin, paano pa kung may magkasakit sa pamilya?”
Lee revealed that he wrote a letter to PhilHealth officials recommending the across the board increase, and stressed that “siguradong Winner Tayo Lahat kung tataasan ng PhilHealth ng 20%-30% ang sinasagot nitong mga bayarin.”
During the budget hearing of Department of Health’s proposed 2024 budget last September, Lee revealed that while PhilHealth has P466 billion worth of investible funds and P68.4 billion in net income, he was informed that PhilHealth had racked up huge debts to hospitals.
In the said hearing, PhilHealth President and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. confirmed that the state health insurer owes hospitals a total of P27 billion. At the same hearing he also committed that PhilHealth would settle the bulk of these debts within 90 days.
In the same budget deliberation, Lee also called on PhilHealth to use its available funds to expand the healthcare packages offered to Filipino citizens.
“Kung may bilyon-bilyong pondo ang PhilHealth, dapat mas mapalawak ang benepisyo sa mga miyembro nito. Dapat fully ma-implement na rin yung outpatient benefit packages na covered ng ahensya tulad ng XRay, MRI, at madagdagan ang mga sinasagot nitong generic medicines, as well as the enhancement of benefit package for severe pneumonia acute hemorrhages,” said Lee at the budget hearing.
