PhilHealth chief told: Keep promise to lower premiums

PNA

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go on Tuesday admonished Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) president and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. for failing to keep his word to convince President Marcos to lower the premium contributions of members.

Presiding over the hearing of the Senate health committee, Go reminded Ledesma that he had assured senators on July 30 that he would immediately make the recommendation to slash the state health insurer’s premium rate, which now stands at 4 percent.

Go said that several sectors had been urging PhilHealth to cut its rates and improve its benefit packages after it agreed to transfer P89.9 billion in excess funds to the national treasury to bankroll the government’s unprogrammed appropriations for 2024.

The amount, he added, should instead be used on additional healthcare services for Filipinos as mandated by Republic Act No. 11223, or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act of 2019.

“You told us that you will recommended to the President the decrease in the premium contribution. Were you able to do this? You promised this to us in our last hearing,” Go asked Ledesma.

The PhilHealth chief clarified that what he actually meant was they would “thoroughly study the possibility” of doing so. “We are still in the process of reviewing and studying that. That’s why I have not recommended anything to President Marcos,” he said.

Transcript checked

But Go read the official transcript of the proceedings, in which Ledesma told senators that “we at PhilHealth, our management, will recommend to President Marcos to bring down the premium rate.”

“Especially after this very nice hearing that just happened. We will do it immediately as early as this afternoon,” Ledesma even added.

“That’s on record. It’s very clear,” Go told him. “Just deliver on your promise.”

Sen. Raffy Tulfo said that PhilHealth should make available funds for dental services, dialysis and treatment of other serious illnesses before financing the expenditure program of other state agencies.

“Before you turn over your excess (funds), you should shoulder the medical needs of our people,” Tulfo said.

‘Great insult’

Speaking at the same hearing, public health advocate Dr. Anthony Leachon reiterated that funneling PhilHealth’s funds to other purposes was a “great insult” to paying members and other Filipinos regarded as indirect contributors.

He asked the state health insurer and Department of Finance to exercise prudence as the Supreme Court had already acted on the petition questioning the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the national treasury. On May 10, the state health insurer turned over P20 billion to the government’s general fund. Ledesma said that an additional P10 billion would be remitted on Wednesday.

“PhilHealth’s money belongs to the people and it is only just that PhilHealth’s members tangibly feel that (UHC) is a reality,” Leachon said.

“If we are to thoroughly and sufficiently expand our healthcare benefits, we need to protect PhilHealth’s funds as healthcare costs are ever increasing,” he stressed.