President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is reviewing the suggested suspension of the impending five percent increase in PhiliHealth’s premium rates, Malacañang said.
“The review is still ongoing,” Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil told reporters in a Viber message.
“The President wants to ensure that any increase in premium will substantially be much more in value in terms of benefits and coverage to PhilHealth members,” she added.
Earlier, PhilHealth president and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma said the increase in contributions to PhilHealth’s premium rate would push through as the President has yet to declare a suspension on the hike.
Department of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa previously asked the President for the suspension of the rate hike, citing PhilHealth has enough money to continue providing services.
The increase in PhilHealth rates, implemented in 2024, fulfills the requirements outlined in the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law.
This legislation, signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019, established a plan for gradual increases in PhilHealth contributions, culminating in the current five percent rate.
President Marcos previously ordered the state insurer to show the other side of the targeted premium rate hike.
“I’m observing, I’ll tell you, go ahead if you are going to increase it just show the other side of that. What will be the increase in services, what will it be able to cover, what more you will be able to cover?” President Marcos said in a previous interview.
“It’s very hard to quantify health. You know how much it is worth to you, it’s worth different things to different people,” he added.