Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan has proposed institutionalizing a comprehensive health insurance package for public school teachers and providing them an annual P7,000 medical allowance to subsidize the availment of this benefit.
Yamsuan said his proposed measure under House Bill (HB) 10990 aims to make the plan of the Department of Education (DepEd) to provide health maintenance organization (HMO)-type coverage for public school teachers a permanent feature of the benefits package provided for all its present and future teaching personnel.
“Our bill also promotes preventive healthcare. With HMO-type benefits, our usually overworked public school teachers would be able to maintain their well-being and get treatment when necessary without having to worry about mounting medical expenses, long before health concerns become severe or life-threatening,” Yamsuan said.
Close to one million public school teachers in the basic education system stand to benefit from the measure, Yamsuan said.
Under HB 10990, qualified public school teachers shall each receive an annual medical allowance not exceeding P7,000 as subsidy to enable the DepEd to procure a contract with an HMO on their behalf.
Yamsuan said the amount of medical allowance is subject to mandatory review every three years by the DepEd to ensure that this is sufficient and reflective of current market prices.
“Ang layunin natin sa paghahain ng panukalang batas na ito ay matiyak na ang pagkakaroon ng mas malawak na benepisyong pangkalusugan para sa ating mga public school teachers ay magiging regular at permanenteng bahagi na ng mga benepisyong natatanggap nila mula sa gobyerno,” he added.
(Our goal in filing the bill is to make sure that the grant of expanded healthcare benefits to our public school teachers would be a regular and permanent part of the benefits they are receiving from the government.)
HB 10990, Yamsuan said, would help carry out his Health, Opportunities, Peace and Education or HOPE agenda for Parañaque’s 2nd District, where he will run as its congressional representative in next year’s midterm elections.
Yamsuan lauded DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara’s initiative to pool the annual P7,000 medical allowance that public school teachers are set to receive beginning 2025 to provide HMO-type benefits for them.
Under Executive Order No. 64, signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the government will provide an annual medical allowance of up to Php 7,000 to eligible government civilian personnel, including about 910,434 public school teachers.
The P7,000 medical allowance is a substantial increase from the P500 medical examination allowance that teachers had previously received in 2020.
“Napakaganda ng plano ni Secretary Angara lalo pa’t limitado lang naman ang benepisyong nakukuha ng ating mga guro mula sa Philhealth. Kapag nabigyan ng health insurance coverage sa ilalim ng HMO ang ating mga public school teachers, hindi na sila kailangang ma-stress pa para makahanap ng pambayad sa pagpapagamot,” Yamsuan said.
(The plan of Secretary Angara is a very good one, especially taking into account the limited benefits that our teachers get from Philhealth. If they get health insurance coverage through an HMO, they won’t have to be stressed looking for funds to pay for their medical treatment.)
“At present, public school teachers do not have the usual paid sick leave benefits enjoyed by other professionals. Thus, when they fall ill, they are faced with a difficult choice: either report to work despite their condition, potentially worsening their health, or take an unpaid sick leave, which can strain their finances and limit their ability to afford necessary medical care. This is an unjust dilemma no teacher should have to endure,” said Yamsuan, who currently represents the Bicol Saro Partylist in Congress.
HB 10990, Yamsuan said, would help carry out his Health, Opportunities, Peace and Education or HOPE agenda for Parañaque’s 2nd District, where he will run as its congressional representative in next year’s midterm elections.
Providing quality healthcare to public school teachers, Yamsuan said, would result in “healthier and happier educators, which would then help ensure higher-quality education and better learning environments for all students.”
