PASIG City Rep. Roman Romulo, a senatorial candidate, wants the Insurance Commission to penalize private health-maintenance organizations that discriminate against the country’s more than six-million senior citizens.
Romulo has filed House Bill 6348—the proposed Anti-Health care Age Discrimination Act—which imposes administrative fines of up to P300,000 on HMOs that refuse to sign up individuals who are 60 years old and above.
The bill also entitles every senior citizen “to moral and exemplary damages” in the event he or she is denied HMO coverage.
Several HMOs unjustly impose an age ceiling that automatically disqualifies people who are 60 years old and above, according to Romulo.
He says other HMOs refuse to renew the coverage of plan holders when they reach 60.
“This constitutes strong age discrimination, which is totally unfair and simply unacceptable,” Romulo said.
He invoked Section 11, Article 13 of the Constitution, which mandates the State to make essential health-care services available to all, especially the elderly, at affordable cost.
“We must stress that the State and the private sector have a shared duty to improve the welfare of our senior citizens,” Romulo said.
HMOs provide prepaid health insurance plans to enrolled members through a network of contracted hospitals and doctors.
There are 23 HMOs doing business in the country, and together they now have more than four-million plan holders.
Just last month, President Benigno Aquino III issued Executive Order 192, which transferred the supervision and regulation of HMOs to the Insurance Commission from the Department of Health.
“With or without our bill, the [commission] should compel HMOs to accept senior citizens seeking coverage or face financial punishment and other administrative sanctions,” Romulo said.
He said access to HMO plans and services would augment the health-care benefits that senior citizens now enjoy under the law, including the 20-percent discount on hospital charges and the cost of medicines, and automatic coverage by the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp.