Lawmaker urges PhilHealth to defer hike in premiums
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas wants the state health insurer to defer its increased monthly premiums next month as it will be an added burden amid low wages and high prices of goods and services.
Brosas, a representative of the Gabriela Women’s party-list group of the Makabayan bloc, said pushing back the hike was “even more necessary” given issues hounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.
“This would mean P400 to P3,200 in deductions from their salary, and this will be eaten up by the P33 increase in daily wages in Metro Manila. This is just an added burden to our countrymen after the elections,” she said in a statement.
PhilHealth is poised to implement a 4-percent increase in monthly contributions starting June, which will also be retroactively from January.
The premium contribution was scheduled for an increase from 3 to 3.5 percent in January last year but was deferred due to the pandemic.
—JULIE M. AURELIO
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