Docs decry ‘sabotage’ of gov’t health program
Medical professionals on Monday denounced what they called the sabotaging of the universal health care (UHC) program of the country following the government’s failure to return billions of pesos in funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and passing laws that could be detrimental to Filipinos.
“The murder of universal health care is happening before the eyes of the people, orchestrated and executed by the very government that should be safeguarding their right to health,” said Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III and Dr. Antonio Dans.
At a health-care forum, they decried the alleged pilfering of the P89.9 billion of PhilHealth funds, which should have funded UHC programs benefiting most especially the poor Filipinos.
To make it worse, Congress and the President completely eliminated the P74-billion budget proposal of PhilHealth to fund the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) this year, which would have been used to pay for the benefits of 16 million senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), indigents, 4Ps beneficiaries, and those without the capacity to pay.
PhilHealth funds are in danger of being reduced further after the House of Representatives approved House Bill (HB) No. 11360, which would lower the excise taxes for tobacco products.
“In the coming months, we are afraid to see that Department of Health (DOH) hospitals will be filled to the brim with indigents, seniors and PWD patients, because they cannot be accommodated by private hospitals because there is no PhilHealth subsidy for them,” argued Perez, former executive director of the Commission on Population and Development in the Philippines.
HB 11360 seeks to lower the excise tax rates on tobacco and vape products and the Sin Tax Coalition estimated that should it become a law, it would lead to P29 billion in forgone revenue for UHC and other programs, and 400,000 additional smokers by 2030 by making tobacco more accessible to the youth and the poor.
“This threatens the sustainability of PhilHealth’s funding for universal health care,” said Dans, professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine.
However, the DOH on Monday assured the public that PhilHealth was in a strong financial position to pay for the health benefits of all Filipinos this year, while at the same time increasing its benefit packages.
High court hearing
The Supreme Court will hold oral arguments today on the transfer of P89.9 billion in excess funds from PhilHealth to the national treasury.
It will hear the key issues in three consolidated petitions separately filed by 1Sambayan Coalition et al. (G.R. No. 276233) on Oct. 16, 2023; Sen. Aquilino Pimentel et al. v. House of Representatives et al. (G.R. No. 274778), and Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares et al. v. President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. (G.R. No. 275405), both filed in August.
The petitions specifically question the constitutionality of Section 1(d) of XLIII of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2024 and Department of Finance (DOF) Circular No. 003-2024, both of which allowed the return of excess reserve funds from government-owned and -controlled corporations to the national treasury for unprogrammed appropriations.
These appropriations are part of the national budget and serve as a financial reserve for projects or expenses not specifically detailed in the budget.
According to the high court’s advisory, the key legal questions include whether the President’s certification of urgency for House Bill No. 8980, which became the 2024 GAA, complied with the constitutional requirements, and whether Congress and the bicameral conference committee had the authority to introduce additional appropriations beyond what was initially submitted.
The Supreme Court will also determine whether DOF Circular No. 003-2024, which implements the reallocation of PhilHealth funds, is consistent with constitutional provisions on budgetary authority and fiscal management.
Key officials, including Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, PhilHealth president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., and Supreme Court-appointed experts (amici curiae), are required to attend today’s oral arguments.
Among the court-identified amici curiae tasked to provide insight into the issue are former Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, economist Orville Jose Solon, public budget analyst Zy-za Suzara, IBON executive director Sonny Africa, and public health expert Beverly Lorraine Ho.
