Sen. Christopher Go (Photo from his office)
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go believes that a concerted cooperation and whole-of-country approach by all sectors is necessary to realize the vision of universal health care coverage even as the country’s health insurance sector continues to weather the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a hearing of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law held Tuesday, June 16, Go urged fellow legislators and stakeholders to carefully study possible amendments to the law and its implementing rules and regulations while taking into consideration the new challenges created by the pandemic.
Go, who is also chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, stressed that “any amendment should not be at the expense of providing universal health care for all.”
“Habang iniisip natin ang sarili nating kapakanan, isipin rin natin ang pangkalahatang benepisyo ng Universal Health Care Law sa lahat ng Pilipino at ang layunin natin na masama lahat ng Pilipino sa isang matatag na health care insurance program. Pare-pareho naman tayo ng gusto. Importante, magtulungan at magbayanihan tayo,” he said.
[While we’re thinking of our own welfare, let’s also think of the overall benefits of the Universal Health Care Law for all Filipinos and our goal of including all Filipinos in a stable health care insurance program. We all want the same thing. What’s important is that we help each other and do bayanihan.]
“Again, let me reiterate, sa panahon ngayon, kailangang balansehin ang pangangailangan para mapaganda ang mga programang pangkalusugan, at ang epekto ng krisis sa kakayahan ng mga Pilipinong magbigay ng dagdag na kontribusyon,” Go continued, expressing sympathy for Filipinos who, he noted, are struggling to pay for their insurance.
[Again, let me reiterate, at a time like this, we must balance what is needed to improve health programs with the effects of the crisis on the ability of Filipinos to give extra contributions.]
“Lahat welcome dito. Andito kami para pakinggan ang hinaing ng lahat ng Pilipino,” he reiterated during the hearing, which was attended by several stakeholders and government officials.
[Everyone is welcome here. We are here to listen to the concerns of all Filipinos.]
Go reminded the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., the lead agency in the implementation of the UHC Law, to consider the precarious financial situation of its contributors, many of whom lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 global crisis.
Also affected are thousands of overseas Filipino workers, many of whom had been repatriated while many others are still to be repatriated after losing their jobs abroad.
PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales pointed out that the government’s health insurance agency was struggling to cover its beneficiaries’ benefits, particularly the premium of its indirect contributors, after it received a P71.3-billion subsidy under the 2020 General Appropriations Act as opposed to the P153 billion it had originally proposed.
Despite this, Go said such constraints should not prevent Filipinos from seeking government assistance for their medical bills.
He reassured the public, particularly PhilHealth beneficiaries and OFWs, that they can still receive additional assistance from any of the 71 existing Malasakit Centers found around the country.
A Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop where poor and financially challenged patients can request for medical and financial assistance from four government agencies now housed under one roof.
“One stop-shop po ito. Pwede kayo humingi ng tulong sa DSWD. Magkakatabing lamesa lang po iyon sa isang kuwarto, pati po ang DOH at PCSO to help you sa inyong billing — lalong lalo na po sa mga cases na hindi totally covered ng PhilHealth dahil nagkaroon ng komplikasyon ang pasyente,” said Go, the principal author of the Malasakit Center Act of 2019.
[This is a one-stop shop. You can ask for help from the Department of Social Welfare and Development. It has a table side-by-side with those of the Department of Health and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to help you with your billing — especially in those cases that are not totally covered by PhilHealth because the patient may have complications.]
Go continued that he would push for a higher subsidy for PhilHealth to ensure the proper implementation of the UHC Law. He appealed to the Department of Budget and Management to study options to raise the agency’s annual budget from the P71 billion it advised.
“Nangako tayo. Inaprubahan ng Kongreso ang UHC law, lalong lalo na sa mahihirap nating kababayan na umaasang sasagutin po ng PhilHeath ang kanilang pangangailangan pagdating sa kalusugan,” said Go.
[I made a promise. Congress approved the UHC Law, particularly for our countrymen who are hoping that PhilHealth will shoulder their need when it comes to health.]
“Ako po ay nananawagan sa mga economic managers na pagtuunan ito ng pansin,” he added. “Napaka-importante po ng PhilHealth sa atin at sa health care system. Gawan dapat ng paraan na taasan ang subsidy sa PhilHealth para mas mapagaan ang burden sa ordinaryong tao. Now more than ever, dapat ma-prioritize ang health. We must do what we can to ensure that every Filipino can have access to universal health care for all.”
[“I’m calling on our economic managers to give attention to this. PhilHealth is very important to our health care system. We should find a way to raise the PhilHealth subsidy to further ease the burden of ordinary people. Now more than ever, health should be prioritized. We must do what we can to ensure that every Filipino can have access to universal health care for all.”]
During the seven-hour Joint Congressional Oversight Committee hearing, Go also asked Morales to address reports that PhilHealth continued to require overseas Filipino workers to pay premium contributions before they could obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate.
The provision, Go said, could not be found in the UHC Law and its implementation was suspended by President Rodrigo Duterte after recognizing the dire financial situation of the OFWs.
Morales clarified that an advisory was issued last June 11 informing OFWs that the premium payments would be voluntary for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Under the law, every Filipino shall be automatically included in the National Health Insurance Program, either as a direct or indirect contributor. This is to protect people from the financial risk of paying for health services out of their own pockets and reduce the risk that people will be pushed into poverty,” Go explained.
“We want to eliminate the idea of health care as an entitlement and as a privilege of the few who can afford to pay,” he said further.
/atm