Lawmaker wants PhilHealth placed under DOF

PhilHealth. INQUIRER FILES

Senior Citizen party list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes proposed on Thursday that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) be placed under the Department of Finance (DOF) to prepare for the likelihood of the country’s aging population by 2030.

He also suggested expanding the Social Security System (SSS), Home Development Mutual (Pag-Ibig) Fund, and PhilHealth to include more workers in the informal economy.

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Ordanes cited a report by the Commission on Population and Development, which said that the Philippine population could be classified as aging by 2030 due to slow population growth. This would mean an increase in the number of Filipinos 60 years old and above and a decrease in those 15 years old and below.

“Preparing well for a larger and growing population of senior citizens involves strengthening our pension and health finance institutions, more employment and entrepreneurs, and a continually growing economy. All these three factors will secure the future of future seniors,” he said.

He explained that strengthening pension and health finance institutions would involve transferring PhilHeath under the DOF, where “PhilHealth properly belongs together with the SSS (Government Service Insurance System) and Pag-IBIG Fund.”