August 1 ------ PHILIPPINE Health Corp. (PhilHealth) CEO and President Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. promised to recommend reducing premium rate contributions for members, Sen. Bong Go said. He said the commitment was made during the latest hearing on the Universal Health Care Act (RA 11223). The premium cut recommendation arose in light of revelations on the substantial PhilHealth Reserve Fund (roughly around P500 billion) and the transfer of the excess government subsidy of P90 billion to the National Treasury.
Go requested that PhilHealth suspend the implementation of the 5 percent increase in premium contributions, which began on Jan. 1, 2024. "If PhilHealth has excess funds, it should refrain from collecting contributions from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) or avoid raising contributions for direct contributors," he said, adding that a premium hike was deferred at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Go is a co-author and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2620, which adjusts premium contribution rates and mandates that unpaid contributions of distressed migrant workers should not be collected upon their return to the country. The senator has raised concerns about PhilHealth's funds, questioning why resources intended to assist Filipinos suffering from ailments remain unused. "It's unacceptable that funds are sitting there unused while they could be helping every Filipino member of PhilHealth," he said.
Part of the Senate inquiry aims to seek an explanation from Ledesma on unused funds while many patients struggle to pay for hospitalization and medical bills. Despite the legality of returning the P89.9-billion excess funds to the National Treasury, Go found it morally unacceptable. He expressed dismay over the discovery of the excess funds, which, he said, should have been used to further expand the benefit packages that could help, especially the poor Filipino people. "It was indeed morally unacceptable to know that PhilHealth had billions of pesos in excess funds which could have been made available to help sick Filipinos," said Go, who chairs the Senate Health and Demography Committee.
Source: manilatimes.net
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