‘Right to Care’ bill seeks inclusive healthcare for queer couples, solo parents

Metro Manila, Philippines - Four lawmakers in the House minority have filed a bill which seeks to make healthcare inclusive amid reported discrimination of partners of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity and expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), solo parents, and those from non-traditional households.

Akbayan Party-list Reps. Perci Cendaña, Chel Diokno, and Dadah Ismula, and Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao lodged House Bill 2786 or the “Right to Care” bill in a bid to require the recognition of healthcare proxies by all health service providers.

“Partners of people of diverse SOGIESC, solo parents, and people from non-traditional households often experience discrimination in the healthcare setting when they are not allowed to act as care givers and denied access to information and decision-making processes necessary to save the lives of their loved ones,” they said in a statement.

“In this proposed legislation, the patient-principal designates their partner-agent to make critical health decisions and receive vital health information on their behalf in times of incapacity,” they added.

Under the bill, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) shall provide each of its members a health care proxy, a document which a principal delegates to a health care agent the authority to make decisions for his/her behalf.

Healthcare providers are required to recognize a health care proxy.

A principal-patient may cancel a health care proxy by notifying its health care provider orally, in writing, or other acts to document the revocation.

Once enacted, the Department of Health, Professional Regulation Commission, PhilHealth, and other concerned government agencies may suspend or rescind licenses or certifications of health care providers and its agents or employees that would violate the law.