PhilHealth-6 ready for universal health care

By: Carlson B. Alelis

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth)-6 is ready to implement the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law or Republic Act 11223 in Western Visayas.

This was disclosed by Janet Monteverde, acting regional vice president of PhilHealth-6, adding that the region already has 98 percent of its projected population, or about 7.3 million members and dependents, enrolled in the national health insurance program as of December last year.

PhilHealth-6 held a press conference recently, attended by government information offices and the local media, to help disseminate the salient points of the UHC, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last February.

Owen Magalona, the head of the Membership and Marketing section, said the remaining two percent of the population is composed mostly of people living in remote areas.

“So, it’s only a matter of time before we can achieve our mandate for universal health care,” he said.

Currently, those who want to be members need not have supporting documents, they just need to fill the registration forms, Magalona said.

There might, however, be some changes, depending on the implementing rules and regulations or IRR for the UHC.

According to Monteverde, the funding for the UHC will come from Sin Tax, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, member contributions and subsidy from the national government.

As for the contributions, members will be divided into two groups – the direct and indirect contributors.

Direct Contributors are those who have the capacity to pay premiums, are gainfully employed and are bound by an employer-employee relationship, or are self-earning, professional practitioners, migrant workers, including their qualified dependents, and lifetime members.

Indirect Contributors, on the other hand, refer to all others not included as direct contributors, as well as their qualified dependents, whose premium shall be subsidized by the national government including those who are subsidized as a result of special laws. (PIA-6)