Aside from amending the Universal Health Care Act to transfer PhilHealth to the Department of Finance, Senior Citizen Party-list Representative Rodolfo Ordanes is considering giving other agencies roles in providing universal health care.
“I am looking at giving health maintenance organization roles or mandates to the Social Security System, the Government Service Insurance System, the Small Business Corporation, the Insurance Commission, and the health service cooperatives,” Ordanes said.
The legislator is chair of the House Senior Citizens Committee and vice chairman of other key committees.
“By involving other agencies and players in the financing of health care, we will be able to cover more ground. We can serve underserved sectors,” the lawmaker explained.
“It makes sense to break the PhilHealth monopoly on state-funded health finance.”
He pointed out that it makes sense to break the PhilHealth monopoly on state-funded health finance.
“PhilHealth is so incompetent and inefficient that it cannot spend P89 billion in subsidies its officials asked Congress for in the past three years. Congress can give the subsidies to others who can spend them wisely,” Ordanes stressed.
“It is time to transfer PhilHealth to the Department of Finance.”
“It is time to transfer PhilHealth to the Department of Finance. In the short term, the transfer can be done by presidential executive order. The same way TESDA was transferred from DOLE to DTI. The transfer of PhilHealth to DOF can be made permanent by amending the UHC Law,” Ordanes added.
He explained that giving SSS and GSIS members the option to avail of HMO coverage from either state pension fund can give them an affordable alternative to the costly HMO coverage of private financing providers.
“Employees of MSMEs can turn to the Small Business Corporation for affordable HMO coverage. Millions of cooperative members can turn to health service cooperatives for their HMO coverage,” Ordanes said.
He noted that there are some good hospitals run by doctors’ cooperatives for many decades now.
“Giving them subsidies will make them less dependent on PhilHealth reimbursements,” Ordanes concluded.
