Amid the continued impact of inflation in the country, a party-list lawmaker appealed to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to implement a minimum 20-percent across-the-board increase in ITS health benefits.
AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee made the appeal at the First National Credit Surety Fund Cooperative Congress held in Cebu City recently.
“We are glad that PhilHealth listened to our call during the last budget hearing to expand the benefits they provide,” Lee said in his speech.
But instead of increasing the support of PhilHealth only for selected diseases, there must be an increase in the hospitalization fees it covers for its members,” he added.
The PhilHealth recently increased the coverage of several of its benefit packages for its members — to include high-risk pneumonia and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
“These increases and expanded health benefits are urgently needed as PhilHealth’s case rates are no longer responsive to the hospitalization cost,” Lee stressed.
He lamented: “Patients still pay a lot for hospitalization.”
Lee disclosed he wrote a letter to PhilHealth officials recommending the across the board increase.