Following the announcement of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) that it would be increasing members’ benefits by as much as 30%, AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee said on Friday that he would continue advocating for no balance billing so that struggling Filipino families would not need to shell out a single peso for urgent medical care.
Speaking at the Alabel State of the Children Report and Children’s Congress in the capital of Sarangani, Lee pointed out “ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan; pero paano sila magiging pag-asa ng bayan kung hindi natin sila aalagaan?”
“Natutuwa po tayo na positibo ang response ng PhilHealth sa panawagan natin na taasan ng 30% across the board ang benepisyo ng mga miyembro, pero hindi po dyan nagtatapos ang laban dahil masigasig pa rin nating isinusulong ang epektibong implementasyon ng no balance billing para hindi na kailangan maglabas ni isang kusing para sa medical bills.”
“Alam natin na ang pangamba ng bawat pamilya ay ang magkasakit ang kanilang mga anak kasi takot sila na baka hindi nila kakayanin ang gastos para sa doktor at ospital,” said the Bicolano lawmaker.
“Bagamat mayroon nang nakalatag na polisiya ang gobyerno para sa no balance billing, hindi talaga ito natututukan at naipatutupad nang maayos.”
According to Lee, “hindi dapat balakid ang kahirapan upang makatanggap ng maayos na medical treatment.”
“Dapat may kumpiyansa ang mga magulang na pag dinala nila ang kanilang mga anak sa ospital, hindi mauubos ang kita o ipon nila sa gamot o sa mga medical procedure. Pag lahat ng pamilya, mahirap o mayaman, nakakatanggap ng maayos na medical treatment, yan ang totoong Universal Health Care, at dito Winner Tayo Lahat.”
Lee in October wrote PhilHealth management and had recommended a 20% to 30% increase in all benefit packages and coverage provided by the Corporation as rates had remained unchanged for over a decade.
He had earlier pointed out in Congressional budget hearings that PhilHealth was in a position to increase its benefits as it had P466 billion worth of investible funds and P68.4 billion in net income.
“Natutuwa po tayo na positibo ang response ng PhilHealth sa panawagan natin na taasan ng 30% across the board ang benepisyo ng mga miyembro, pero hindi po dyan nagtatapos ang laban dahil masigasig pa rin nating isinusulong ang epektibong implementasyon ng no balance billing para hindi na kailangan maglabas ni isang kusing para sa medical bills.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund reported in January 2023 that in the Philippines, over 60,000 children die annually before their fifth birthday because of complications of premature birth, intra-partum complications, and infectious disease.
The UN agency said that access to and availability of quality health care continues to be a matter of life or death for children globally, with a majority of child deaths occuring in the first five years of a child’s life.
