PhilHealth funds enough, can last for 2 years – lawmakers

PhilHealth customer assistance notice at the Rizal Medical Center in Pasig City. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) not receiving any government subsidy should not be an issue as it has enough funds to sustain payouts for up to two years,  lawmakers from the House of Representatives said on Monday.

During a press briefing at the Batasang Pambansa complex, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre allayed fears that PhilHealth members would not be able to avail of packages.

“The numbers are clear, the provision of assistance would not stop next year — PhilHealth has enough reserve funds to respond to people’s needs, not only for one year but two years,” Acidre said in Filipino.

“First, do not get sick. Whether there is PhilHealth or there is none, it is not good to be sick. Second, we cannot say that we do not have funds. PhilHealth has funds, it is there, our subsidies and packages will continue, and will increase further,” he added.

Acidre’s response came after several netizens feared that getting sick in 2025 would be costly, as the bicameral conference committee removed over P70 billion in government subsidies to PhilHealth because the state-run insurer still has P600 billion in reserve funds.

READ: PhilHealth has zero subsidy for 2025 due to P600B reserve funds

The Department of Health (DOH) has assured the public that services would still be available since PhilHealth currently has a P150-billion surplus from its 2024 budget even if it was given zero subsidy in 2025.

READ: PhilHealth has extra P150 billion despite zero subsidy in 2025 – DOH

READ: DOH: PhilHealth benefits, services to remain despite zero subsidy

La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V, meanwhile, assured the public that there were “more than enough PhilHealth funds to cover its members for the entire year.”

“Those who spread fake news might not be PhilHealth members, that’s why they are bitter. Better stop these foolish things that you are doing,” he added in Filipino.

Acidre also noted that PhilHealth has to improve its delivery of services.

“In terms of actual utilization for the benefit of our patients, much is to be desired. PhilHealth needs to do a lot to improve. This is how it works; if you saw that the funds you gave before were not used, why would you increase allocation just to exacerbate the inefficiency that an agency has?” he asked.

“It’s a decision that we considered carefully because I know the frustration of the people with PhilHealth. I feel that. Even us who also pay premiums, sometimes I call out PhilHealth because they charge higher fees compared to HMOs (health maintenance organizations) because we really have to fix many things with PhilHealth,” he added.

Earlier, Acidre, Ortega, and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jefferson Khonghun also defended the bicam’s decision to slash the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposed 2025 budget for its computerization program.

According to the lawmakers, DepEd must first prove that it can disburse its budget efficiently before Congress allocates more funds as the agency’s utilization rate for its information and communication technology project was only P2.75 billion of the P11.36 billion total budget.

Acidre and Ortega clarified that DepEd’s budget slash was not reflective of Education Secretary Sonny Angara’s performance but of the agency’s inability to use funds efficiently.

According to Acidre, it is unfortunate because he knows that Angara is a very good public servant, but it is the agency that was flagged for not utilizing a huge chunk of its budget.

READ: Solons: DepEd has to prove first it can disburse, use funds properly