AN activist lawmaker sought on Thursday a congressional probe into the claim that the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. is in dire financial straits and may continue to exist for only a few more months.
But PhilHealth denied the claim and assured the public that their finances are robust and healthy and has in fact been growing in the past five years.
“We would like to clarify some news reports that came out today that might have caused panic among our members, especially where the stability of the health insurance funds is concerned,” said PhilHealth president Alexander Padilla.
“PhilHealth’s finances are as robust, healthy and substantial as ever. Proof of this is our ability to pay for the benefit claims of our members at an amount that has been steadily growing over the last five years,” he said.
Padilla noted that PhilHealth paid about P34 billion in benefit claims in 2011, about P44 billion in 2012, up to P55 billion in 2013, P77 billion in 2014 and about P97 billion in 2015.
But Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus said the public, especially the PhilHealth members, have a right to know what is the real financial condition of the state health insurance agency.
“Every year, the PhilHealth has been at the receiving end of huge chunks of the government’s health budget. It has increased mandatory contributions from OFWs, and workers from the public and private sectors. Where did all the finances go?” De Jesus asked.
Citing data from the Department of Health, De Jesus said PhilHealth received 42.5 percent of the DoH budget amounting to 35.2 billion in 2014 and 42 percent, or 37.4 billion, in 2015. In 2016, the DoH allocated 43.8 billion for PhilHealth.
Given these data, De Jesus said she finds it unacceptable that the PhilHealth, which is supposedly in charge of the government’s universal health program, is running out of funds when its annual budget is increasing.
“The government allocates a huge budget for PhilHealth annually. While PhilHealth is a dismal failure in responding to the health needs of the Filipino people, its government funding is depleting, and we want to know why and how,” De Jesus said.
De Jesus also lamented how PhilHealth executives have rewarded themselves with bonuses amid such mismanagement in the health insurance’ funds.
“We have long questioned the PhilHealth’s viability. This was a tragedy bound to happen in the midst of unchecked corruption, questionable bonuses and the large scale private sector intrusion into the public health care system,” de Jesus said.
But Padilla said PhilHealth is gmandated to maintain a reserve fund level equivalent to two years so that we can readily address our members needs should any eventuality happen. h
While other social protection programs maintain probably higher levels of reserve funds, we operate on a pay-as-you-go system where we immediately translate what we collect into benefit payments for our members, said Padilla.