Solon ponders new health insurance agency to compete with PhilHealth
MANILA, Philippines — Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo said Wednesday Congress should consider selecting a new health insurance carrier that could compete with the State-run insurance agency if the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) fails to implement reforms within it.
Quimbo, a health economist and member of the House Minority bloc, suggested several reforms in PhilHealth to eradicate all forms of anomalies within the agency and to effectively deliver its mandated service to the Filipino people.
Among the proposals were to modernize its database system; adopt a marketing orientation and deploy community-based workers; reorganize the staff members; make the benefits more expansive; and “install honest, pro-people leadership so that all forms of anomalies are eradicated.”
“If within one year, reforms are not implemented and performance does not improve, Congress should consider giving competition to PhilHealth by competitively selecting the health insurance carrier that can effectively implement the mandate of providing financial risk protection,” Quimbo said in a statement read during the weekly press conference of the Minority group.
The neophyte lawmaker also lamented how fraud in PhilHealth, if left unsolved, could lead to the failure of the Universal Health Care Law.
“… (T)he effective protection rate (in PhilHealth) is less than 15%. If, for example, 20% of PhilHealth claims are fraudulent, then the effective protection rate is only 12%. This means that for every 100 pesos spent on hospital bills, PhilHealth shoulders only 12 pesos,” Quimbo explained.
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Article continues after this advertisementOther members of the Minority have also filed resolutions calling for an investigation into the anomalies hounding PhilHealth.
Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. filed has filed House Resolution No. 23 which urged the committees on health and good government and public accountability to exercise their oversight power and probe the reported “ghost” kidney dialysis treatment being paid by the PhilHealth.
READ: PhilHealth pays for ghost kidney treatments
Abang Lingkod Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano has also filed House Resolution No. 26 on the similar issue, stressing that “there is a need to safeguard the finances of PhilHealth as it is the most important element to… provide quality healthcare to all Filipinos.”
Meanwhile, the Senate blue ribbon committee will begin next week its inquiry into the alleged irregularities at PhilHealth.
READ: ‘Trusted’ Duque faces Palace, Senate probes
In a recent privilege speech, Senator Panfilo Lacson bared that PhilHealth incurred a net operating loss of P29.1 billion in 2013 to 2017 due to fraudulent benefit claims and other misdeeds by its senior health officials.
READ: Fraud depleting funds of PhilHealth – Lacson
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