Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) — A portion of the 2023 budget was allocated as support for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), which can be used to subsidize losses it would incur following the suspension of the premium hike, Sen. JV Ejercito said Thursday.
“They should not worry because we added a few billions, if I’m not mistaken about ₱21 billion. I have to review, but we added as a support for PhilHealth,” he told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
In a document released Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of the scheduled increase of the premium rate of PhilHealth from 4% to 4.5%.
Rey Baleña, senior manager for corporate communications of the state insurer, on Wednesday said this will not affect the rollout of current benefits and those scheduled for release this year would be “adjusted.”
He said the benefits include the outpatient packages for mental health and severe acute malnutrition.
Ejercito, who was principal sponsor and author of the Universal Healthcare Act, said the suspension is needed to be able to adapt to the current situation when the economy is hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In fact, when I was able to go back to the Senate, one of the first bills I filed was the amendment to the Universal Healthcare Act,” he said.
“To adapt to the situation, yung (the) premium hikes we will now base it on a lower ceiling so that the premium contribution will now be based on a lower ceiling,” he explained.
