Senators seek suspension of PhilHealth contributions hike

MANILA, Philippines — Several senators are pushing for the suspension of the increase in Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) premium contributions this year.

Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, as well as Senators Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva, Nancy Binay, Win Gatchalian, and Sonny Angara, filed Senate Bill No. 1968 which seeks to amend the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act in a move to suspend the scheduled PhilHealth contribution increase.

Zubiri said the PhilHealth premium increase “is not just timely” especially as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Napakaraming tao ang nawalan ng trabaho at hanapbuhay ngayong pandemya. Maraming natambakan ng mga bayarin sa ilaw, sa tubig, sa renta. Mabigat sa bulsa itong PhilHealth increase kung sakaling matuloy,” Zubiri said in a statement.

(There were a lot of people who lost their jobs and livelihood during the pandemic. Many people also got buried in bills and rent. This Philhealth increase is a big burden if it pushes through.)

The majority leader said PhilHealth also need to resolve the corruption issues it faced last year first to ensure that all contributions can be utilized by the public.

“And we have to understand why people would rather hold on to their hard-earned money than hand it over to PhilHealth, given PhilHealth’s history,” Zubiri said.

Poe, meanwhile, said “it’s simply inhumane to apply an  increase in contributions for healthcare services when we are right in the middle of a health crisis.”

“Our goal is still to achieve universal healthcare for every Filipino. We’re just hitting the pause button for now because we can’t justify taking more from our countrymen and women who have experienced salary cuts already,” Poe said.

Senator Richard Gordon likewise filed Senate Bill No. 1971 which authorizes the deferment of the premium contributions hike in times of emergencies and calamities.

Gordon’s bill gives the President the power to temporarily suspend or defer the implementation of increases in PhilHealth premium contributions in times of a declared national emergency or state of calamity, within a period of not more than six months.

This, however, can still be extended to another six months as may be appropriate and necessary in the interest of the public, Gordon’s bill states.

“Beyond the human tragedy, there is a direct economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This bill seeks to accord relief and flexibility to the people by empowering the President to temporarily suspend or defer increase in premium contributions scheduled under the Universal Health Care Act,” Gordon said in the bill.

Senator Imee Marcos has also filed Senate Bill No. 1966 which also suspends the scheduled contribution increase for this year.

The bill states that the scheduled increase in premium contributions shall resume in 2022 with the supposed suspended 3.50 percent increase for 2021.

Republic Act No. 11223 or the UHC Act mandates increases in member premiums by increments of 0.5 percent every year, starting 2021 until it reaches the 5-percent limit in 2025.

For 2021, the premium rate is scheduled to increase to 3.5 percent of the monthly basic salary, from the 2020 rate of 3 percent.

CFC