MANILA, Philippines – Pinanindigan ni Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero nitong Huwebes ang desisyuon ng bicameral conference committee na magbigay ng zero subsidy budget sa Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealtha pagsasabing isa itong “wake-up call”sa state health insurer na nabigong gamitin ang pondo na inilaan ng Kongreso sa ahensiya kada taon.
Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Escudero na kapwa niratipika ng Senado at Mababang Kapulungan ang bicameral conference committee reportsa P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025, saka iginiit na kailangan gamitin ng PhilHealth ang reserve funds na umaabot sa P600-billion.
“The Department of Finance (DOF) reduced PhilHealth’s excess funds that they were not spending which was worth P500 billion at that time. Reduced by P90 billion, the Supreme Court withheld the P39 billion, if I’m not mistaken. So PhilHealth’s fund only decreased by P440 billion,” ayon kay Escudero.
“But right now, even when we discussed the budget, PhilHealth’s fund is at P600 billion again. The budget proposal aims to increase that by P74 billion. More than P50 billion for the payment of premiums to the unemployed and P20 billion for additional benefits. But why should we give more if their funds are too much and they are not spending for the members?” giit niya.
Sinabi ni Escudero na base sa charter ng PhilHealth, maaari nitong gamitin ang kanilang pondo para sa pagpapatupad ng Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.
“And good thing is that from one pocket the money just goes back to their other pocket,” giit niya.
Ibinasura din ng lider ng Senado ang pananaw na lalabagin ng Kongreso ang Saligang Batas kapag hindi nabigyan ng subsidiya ang PhilHealth na aabot sa P74-billion para sa 2025.
“No law can be passed by the previous Congress to tie the hands of the next Congress especially if it is not appropriate and no longer suitable for the time like the situation we have now,” aniya
“Philhealth’s funding is too much but we would fund it again while they are not doing their job in terms of additional benefits and additional coverage,” paliwanag niya.
“Second, if that is what we’d base it on, then we have over 1 trillion and 600,000 laws that are not funded but passed. So that cannot be the basis. That’s why I said that what was passed by the previous congress cannot be changed by future congresses…The next congress has the power to change that depending on the needs of the time,” giit ng Senate chief.
Dahil dito, sinabi ni Escudero na isang paalala ito sa PhilHealth na gawin ang kanilang tungkulin.
“This is like a reminder, a wake-up call to them that ‘hey do your job’ because a lot of money is being wasted precisely because you don’t move, because you don’t provide benefits, because you don’t pay the debt you owe to hospitals, whether public or private, that until now are still waiting to be reimbursed,” aniya. Ernie Reyes
