Senator Bong Go expressed support for President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s decision to suspend the increase in Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s premium rate and income ceiling for 2023 amid the gradually recovering economy.
In a statement, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health stated that he sees no reason why this would negatively impact the benefits and services PhilHealth will provide to its members.
“We have successfully pushed for the allocation of P79 billion for PhilHealth subsidy under the 2023 national budget.”
“We have successfully pushed for the allocation of P79 billion for PhilHealth subsidy under the 2023 national budget,” Go said.
“In addition, we also included another P21.17 billion for benefit package improvements,” the legislator added.
These include improvements for dialysis coverage, mental health outpatient coverage, improvement of Z-Benefit packages, severe acute malnutrition, all case rate, rationalization of selected medical and surgical procedures, and the implementation of the comprehensive outpatient benefit package, including free consultation fees, laboratory tests, other diagnostic services, outpatient drug benefit, and emergency medical services.
In a memorandum issued by Malacañang, citing an order from Marcos, the planned increase in PhilHealth contribution will not proceed this year. The memo also states that Marcos gave PhilHealth the go-ahead to postpone the hike in light of the current financial situation.
This year, it was anticipated that the PhilHealth premium rate would increase from 4% to 4.5% in accordance with Section 10 of the Universal Health Care Act.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker urged the government’s health agencies to keep providing the Filipino people with the care they are owed.
“Siguraduhin natin na ang serbisyong dapat makuha ng taumbayan, partikular na ang pangkalusugan, ay maibigay sa kanila lalo na sa mga mahihirap.”
“Siguraduhin natin na ang serbisyong dapat makuha ng taumbayan, partikular na ang pangkalusugan, ay maibigay sa kanila lalo na sa mga mahihirap at walang ibang matakbuhan,” the senator stressed.
In addition, he emphasized the importance of preventing hunger among Filipinos in light of the global socio-economic challenges and the country’s gradual economic recovery.
“Dagdag pa rito, importante na walang magutom. Kaya sa panahon ngayon, tulungan natin ang taumbayan at huwag na dagdagan pa ang bigat ng kanilang mga pinapasan para walang maiwan sa ating muling pagbangon,” Go said.
In 2021, former president Rodrigo Duterte also ordered the deferment of the implementation of the increase in PhilHealth contribution rates amid the pandemic.
Prior to this, Go appealed to government finance managers and his fellow legislators to highly consider the deferment to unburdened Filipinos given the adverse socio-economic impacts of the health crisis.
He has been consistently pushing for strengthened government initiatives to improve the country’s health system, especially in providing better access to health services in the countryside.
Health-related measures make up the bulk of Go’s priority bills filed in the 19th Congress.
These include measures providing free dialysis and annual medical check-up for all Filipinos, and instituting the Emergency Medical Services System. He also filed a bill amending the Insurance Code to allow stricter supervision over Health Maintenance Organizations.
Meanwhile, to promote the welfare of the country’s healthcare workers, Go once again filed his Barangay Health Workers Compensation and Incentives Bill and his Advanced Nursing Education Bill.
He likewise refiled his bills establishing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines.
Go is also the principal author and sponsor of the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019.
The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop which provides particularly poor and indigent patients convenient access to the medical assistance programs of the relevant government agencies. To date, there are 153 Malasakit Centers nationwide.
He also vowed to continue pushing for the establishment of more Super Health Centers throughout the country in a bid to improve healthcare access among Filipinos, especially in rural areas.
Super Health Centers are medium versions of polyclinics and are bigger than rural health units, which offer basic services such as database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy and ambulatory surgical unit.
Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service, oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation center and telemedicine, where remote diagnosis and treatment of patients will be done.
