Metro Manila, Philippines – Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, who is aiming for a senatorial seat, said a free healthcare bill should be a priority as Filipinos remain burdened with huge out-of-pocket expenses.
Brosas said the Universal Health Care (UHC) law still does not address high medical costs. “Universal health [care] daw pero kailangan ng PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.), kailangan out-of-pocket muna kasi walang gwantes, walang ganito, walang ganyan,” Brosas said in the second episode of “Ang Kandidato: A NewsWatch Plus Election roundtable.”“[On] paper, it seems tinutugunan niya, pero sa actual hindi,” Brosas said.[Translation: They say it’s universal healthcare but you would still have to have PhilHealth membership and pay out-of-pocket expenses because there are no gloves or whatever. On paper, it seems it is addressing the problem, but actually it does not.]Republic Act 11223, which was signed into law in 2019, seeks to realize UHC through a “systemic approach and clear delineation of roles of key agencies and stakeholders towards better performance in the health system.”It also aims to “[e]nsure that all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health care goods and services, and protected against financial risk.”In February, PhilHealth president and CEO Edwin Mercado told a Senate hearing that the state insurer has an objective to raise its share in the total healthcare expenditure to 18.7 percent from the current 10.6 percent.Mercado said out-of-pocket expenses of PhilHealth members range from 44 percent to 45 percent of total medical bills. He hopes in three years’ time, that ratio would be narrowed to a range of 25 percent to 30 percent.“Ayaw namin ng PhilHealth, ayaw namin ng insurance. Gusto namin pagdating mo sa ospital magagamot ka, ‘yon ang kailangan ng mamamayan natin,” Brosas said.[Translation: We actually don’t want PhilHealth and insurance. We want that once you arrive in the hospital, you will be treated — that’s what Filipinos need.]
