HIGHER PHILHEALTH PREMIUMS GETTING MORE SUSPICIOUS!

09 Jan. 2018

Taking a closer look at it, the increase in Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) premiums from 2.5 to 2.75 percent starting this month is getting more SUSPICIOUS.

The increase in premiums was announced the day after a detailed expose by Manila Times columnist Bobbie Tiglao of the DIVERSION OF P10.6 BILLION in insurance funds for the country’s 7 MILLION senior citizens to Department of Health (DOH) projects INITIATED by former Health Sec. Janette Garin but NOT AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS.

Tiglao had revealed in his column (http://www.manilatimes.net/aquino-gang-hijacked-p10-6-b-senior-citizens-funds/372335/) that not just one but TWO LAWS require the government to raise and allocate the  P10.6 billion for senior citizens’ insurance premiums for 2015 with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth). One is Republic Act 10351 of 2012 or what is popularly known as the “sin tax” law, which raised levies on liquor and tobacco. The other was Republic Act 10645 of 2014, which provides that all senior citizens should be covered by Philhealth’s health insurance, out of proceeds from the sin-taxes.

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As I had noted in a previous blog, acting Health Secretary Francisco Duque III DID NOT CITE ANY EMERGENCY OR FUND SHORTAGE in announcing the increase to media at a forum last Friday (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/957817/philhealth-raises-premium-contributions-by-25.) These are all that Duque had to say in justifying the increase in contribution: “PhilHealth has been existing for three decades and it is hiking its premium contributions only now. This will double the actual solvency of PhilHealth’s reserve fund from the current four years to eight and a half years.”  Duque added that the increase in contributions aims to beef up PhilHealth’s social insurance benefit packages. But HE DID NOT SPECIFY the supposed benefits.

So if the reserve fund is solvent good at present for four long years, WHY DOUBLE IT NOW? WHY NOT AFTER A YEAR OR TWO? WHAT EXACTLY is the added contributions FOR? The only known financial problem PhilHealth is facing now is the P10,6 billion controversy.

And so what if PhilHealth has been around for three decades or 30 years and is raising contributions only now? It’s a NON-STOCK, NON-PROFIT government agency. It’s for the POOR and the ELDERLY. It’s NOT FOR PHILHEALTH OFFICIALS AND PERSONNEL alone.  Unless anybody can produce a law saying that PhilHealth is allowed to HAVE OR RAISE TONS OF EXTRA CASH ANYTIME WHENEVER IT FEELS LIKE IT. PhilHealth members, STAY ALERT.30