Inspired by the best practices in other countries, senatorial bet Alex Lacson is pushing for a P100,000 health card per family every year to ease the burden of expensive health care costs on Filipinos.
Lacson, a lawyer and book author, said on Sunday, March 27, that this is possible because the government has money for it.
“May pera po ang gobyerno. Ang question lang po diyan is saan mo dadalhin iyong pera na ‘yan, saan mo gagamitin iyong pondo na ‘yan (The government has money. The only question there is where are you going to bring that money, where are you going to use that money)?,” he said on Vice President Leni Robredo’s radio show over dzXL.
Robredo has ceased to attend her weekly radio show since the start of the official campaign period on Feb. 8.
Lacson, who is running under the ticket of Robredo, discussed where to get the money for the yearly health card.
He said that the government has about P328 billion in excess funds every year. That money can be used to finance these social services.
The senatorial aspirant also explained that since 2010, the national budget has increased by four times—from P1.63 trillion to P5.2 trillion.
“On the average po, at least 20 percent ng (of our) national budget natin nalulustay lang sa (gets wasted to) corruption. Ang ibig sabihin po sa (This means that in the) national budget natin ngayon (now of) P5.2 trillion, more than one trillion po sa (of our) national budget expected na po malulustay lang sa korapsyon (to get wasted to corruption),” Lacson said.
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The proposed P100,000 health card will be for one family every year. The funds can be used in excess of the bill that the state insurance Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) cannot cover.
Lacson said he was inspired by what he learned from abroad.
Since he came from a family of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), he has heard from his siblings how health care was being managed abroad.
He cited Japan, Canada, and Italy, where citizens get free health care from the government.
The health card will remove the government component since it will be distributed straight to the beneficiaries.
The system will be similar to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), in which the funds are deposited to a card held by the beneficiaries.
“Hindi na po babawasan, hindi na po makaltasan, hindi na po dumaan sa kamay ng gobyerno (It will not be reduced, it will not be deducted from, it will not pass through the government's hands),” Lacson said.