PHILHEALTH CONTRIBUTION | PhilHealth assures it can sustain medical programs even with suspended premium hike

January 5, 2023 , 05:40 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(January 5, 2023) – The government’s medical insurer on Thursday gave assurance that the suspension of the scheduled increase in members’ contribution rate will not affect its operations and the implementation of the agency’s programs.

Rey Baleña, spokesman of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), said there will be some “adjustments” in the implementation of some of the programs, such as with the benefit packages for mental health and malnutrition, but the implementation will not be interrupted.

“Wala ring epekto ito (suspension of premium hike) sa current benefits na tinatamasa ng mga pasyente, sapagkat provided iyan sa universal healthcare law na ‘yung mga benepisyo na tinatamasa ay hindi na mababawasan,” Baleña said on CignalTV’s One PH channel’s program ‘One Balita Pilipinas.’

Early this week, Malacañang issued a memorandum stating that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has directed PhilHealth to suspend the premium rate increase that was initially set this year from 4% to 4.5%. This also postponed the increase in income celing from P80,000 to P90,000.

In a joint statement, the health department and PhilHealth have noted that the premiums collected by the state insurer is used to fund the expansion of the benefits it is rolling out, so the distribution of these benefits will be synced with any changes in the premium schedules.

For instance, the insurer’s consultation benefit package could lower the percentage of the population covered by the program, Baleña told ABS-CBN News Channel last Wednesday.

In ordering the suspension of the contribution hike, Marcos cited the need to provide relief to Filipinos who are still struggling economically due to the socioeconomic impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Some economists have said the country has been gradually recovering from the pandemic crisis, which slowed down economic activity in the country, but Filipinos now have to grapple with soaring price inflation and what economists fear to be a looming global recession.

PhilHealth’s premium rate hike was last suspended in 2021 under then-President Rodrigo Duterte at the height of the pandemic crisis.

Although the premium rate hike was legislated alongside an expansion of PhilHealth’s benefits, some lawmakers have sought the insurer to suspend the increase due to the economic impacts of the pandemic to many Filipinos.

Baleña said PhilHealth will follow the originally scheduled premium rate for 2024 if there will be no directive to suspend the increase. Based on the Universal Health Care Law, PhilHealth’s premium rate is set to increase to 5% in that year.

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