Solons urge free insurance for 650,000 E. Visayas folk

President Duterte surveys damage caused by Typhoon “Urduja” from the presidential helicopter. —MALACAÑANG PHOTO

TACLOBAN CITY — Twelve legislators from Eastern Visayas appealed to the government to waive health insurance fees for up to 650,000 people in the region following a series of calamities that all but wiped out incomes and sources of livelihood.

The appeal, made by the congressmen in a letter to the Department of Health, was for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to waive fees for health insurance coverage of residents of the provinces of Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar, who had been stricken by a series of calamities.

No respite from disasters

The 12 congressmen from Eastern Visayas, including two party-list representatives, wrote a letter to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who is also PhilHealth chair.

They cited recent storms that struck the region and brought flooding and landslides as reasons that residents of the Eastern Visayas provinces could barely afford health insurance coverage.

Nothing left to pay

In their letter, the congressmen said the region was still recovering from the impact of two strong typhoons — “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in 2013 and “Ruby” in 2014. Yolanda was categorized as a supertyphoon with winds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour when it made landfall and killed tens of thousands of people.

The congressmen said while the region has yet to recover from Yolanda and Ruby, “we again experienced heavy rains and severe flooding due to Tropical Depressions “Urduja” and “Vinta” (2017) and Typhoon “Agaton” in January this year.”

“Most of our constituents have nothing left to pay for PhilHealth coverage, especially the poor farmers and fishermen,” the letter said.

It said free enrollment in PhilHealth would ease the burden of people in the region, particularly those who were not yet members of PhilHealth, of having to pay for health services.

The devastation brought by Typhoon “Agaton” to parts of the Visayas is illustrated by this rock, one of dozens, that rolled down into an impoverished community in Cebu province. —LITO TECSON / CEBU DAILY NEWS

When the region was pummeled by Yolanda, PhilHealth imposed its “All Can Avail” program that entitled members and nonmembers to health insurance coverage. The program was stopped in 2016.

Uninsured

Renato Limsiaco Jr., regional vice president of PhilHealth in Eastern Visayas, said the agency welcomed the congressmen’s appeal, saying this would be a big help to the impoverished region.

“This would mean our people, especially the poor, will now have access to medical services,” he said.

If heeded, the congressmen’s appeal would also help achieve the PhilHealth’s objective of giving universal health insurance coverage, said Limsiaco.

The congressmen’s appeal would benefit up to 650,000 people from Eastern Visayas who were not PhilHealth members.

There are currently 1.93 million people covered by PhilHealth insurance in the region.