Ejercito hopes House will approve amended Universal Healthcare by Dec

Senator JV Ejercito speaks during a Kapihan sa Senado forum on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. (NOY MORCOSO / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV Ejercito prodded the House of  Representatives on Thursday to expedite its version of the proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act and, if possible, pass it before the year ends.

The upper chamber of Congress has already approved Senate Bill No. 2620, which amends the UHC law, but its counterpart measure in the House remains pending at the committee level.

Once the Senate and House approve the final bill, it will be transmitted to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for signature.

“Natutuwa kami sa Senado na naisulong natin ang mga hakbang para mas mapabuti pa ang Universal Health Care. Pero kailangan natin ng mabilis na aksyon mula sa Kamara para maipasa ito nang tuluyan,” Ejercito said in a statement.

(We are pleased in the Senate that we have pushed forward measures to improve Universal Health Care further. However, we need swift action from the House of Representatives to ensure this is passed fully.)

The senator authored Senate Bill No. 2620, which he said is “critical for initiating the urgent reforms needed for PhilHealth, which will ensure it is properly funded and managed efficiently so that health services are delivered without delay.”

The measure, he said, is also among the priority bills identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

“We cannot afford to wait any longer for reforms that will provide our citizens with the health services they deserve. This is not only a priority; it is a necessity for the well-being of our people,” Ejercito stressed.

The reforms to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) being proposed in the bill include amendments to premium rates and stricter management of its funds.

Ejercito said one key provision of the measure prevents the transfer of PhilHealth funds to other government agencies and is intended to address past issues, such as the P89.9-billion transfer of unused subsidies to the National Treasury.

The transfer of PhiliHealth funds was said to comply with a special provision under the 2024 General Appropriations Act. This issue, however, is being questioned at the Supreme Court. 

The bill also seeks to expand PhilHealth’s coverage to include dental services and mandates regular reviews of its benefit packages, according to the senator.

“With the Senate having completed its work on the bill, it now awaits action from the lower chamber to finalize its version,” Ejercito said.

NOTE: The English translations in the article were AI-generated.