(File photo)
MANILA – The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday stressed the need for a "solvent" Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) that can verify and pay claims quickly and provide adequate financial protection to members.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda made the remark as he opposed a move from private hospitals to declare a five-day holiday from accepting PhilHealth claims for deductions.
“On the one hand, PhilHealth definitely has to pay its claims. Even public hospitals like the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital, had to struggle with funding its operations due to delays in the release of claims. On the other hand, this isn’t the solution to PhilHealth’s problems. The poor will not take a holiday from getting sick. PhilHealth will not get hurt from this holiday. The poor will,” Salceda said.
He argued whether such a move would have any ethical grounding, considering that private hospitals are effectively turning down patients who have no other recourse than PhilHealth.
“I would like to remind proprietary hospitals that we gave them a massive tax break under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Law. Don’t act up this way, or I will also have your books checked to see where the tax subsidy went,” Salceda said.
He said the "quagmire" reveals the vulnerabilities of the country’s state health insurance system.
“You have a health insurance agency that is not run by the country’s financial managers. It doesn’t have a digitalized and effective claims verification system. The solvency of the fund isn’t certain. The payment of fees is regressive. And there is no compelling mechanism to legally bind hospitals to taking patients with PhilHealth membership in. It’s a mess,” Salceda said.
He pushed anew for the passage of House Bill No. 7578 or the PhilHealth Reform Act, which proposes systemic reforms in the management of the reserve fund, the collection system, the distribution and verification of claims and benefits, and the governance of the agency.
Salceda added that the bill “will make the contributions scheme more progressive, potentially saving working minimum-wage families thousands of pesos annually, and effectively exempting overseas Filipino workers from paying premiums.”
The measure would save minimum wage earners at least PHP4,800 per year in premiums, he noted.
According to the bill, minimum wage earners exempt from income taxes would pay PHP100 in monthly minimum contributions instead of the current PHP250 to PHP500 per month.
The bill also makes the Finance secretary chairman of the board of the PhilHealth with the Health secretary as co-chairman.
“This is consistent with the Medicare model that is typical of developed countries and is also consistent with the nature of the PhilHealth as an insurance agency,” Salceda said. (PNA)
