Is the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. or PhilHealth "overcharging" the government when it comes to subsidized premiums under its proposed P100.2-billion for next year?
Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo, senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations posed this question during the Department or Health's (DOH) budget hearing on Monday night, Sept. 12 as she criticized PhilHealth's confusing computation of premium payments.
“Bakit hindi ninyo ayusin (Why don't you fix it) once and for all? Para magkaintindihan tayo kung ano ang proper na singil, kasi ako unang tingin palang dito (So that we'll understand each other as to the proper charging, because the way I see it), you are overcharging government," Quimbo told PhilHealth Vice President Lemuel Untalan.
"Unfortunately kahit ako po ang sponsor ninyo (even if I'm your sponsor), I’ll be honest with you na hindi maliwanag ang computation ng singil ninyo sa national government (that your computation on what you charge the national government is unclear),” she said.
PhilHealth is an attached agency of the DOH.
During the budget hearing, PhilHealth said the government will be paying the premiums for 12.75 million indigent beneficiaries, 8.02 million senior citizens, and 99,800 individuals. This totals to around 20.87 million persons.
According to PhilHealth, the 12.75 million indigent beneficiaries were identified via the government’s National Household Targeting System (NHTS). Quimbo questioned the figure.
“But the last time I check based on the August 2022 NHTS, there are only 5.59 indigent households, so paano po nangyari na 12.75 million ang sinisingil niyo sa government? (so how come you're asking the government to subsidize 12.75 million?)” she asked Untalan.
“Parang lumalabas kayo po ay nag-o-overcharge sa gobyerno kasi napakalaki po ng hinihingi ninyo P100.2 billion (It appears as If you're overcharging the government with your hefty budget of P100.2 billion)...I just want an assurance na you are not overcharging our government," added the economist-solon.
Untalan explained that according to the National Health Insurance Program, a dependent is defined as a person below 21 years old. This means that children in the family who are 21 and above will be paying a separate premium.
Quimbo said, "Kasi po ako mayroong apat na anak ang isa dun 23 years old. So sa pamilya namin sinisingil niyo yung gobyerno ng dalawang premiums: isa para sa nanay, sa tatay, tatlong anak na below 21; tapos may singil pa kayo ng another premium for the (It's because I have four children and one of them is 23 years old. So in my family, you charge the government for two premiums: one for the mother, the father, three children below 21; and then another premium for the) only child that happens to be more than 21 years old."
“So for my family, kung ako ay nasama sa indigent (had I been included among indigents) you are charging the government two premiums for my family only because I happen to have a child who is more than 21 years old," she further said.
“Why are you charging my family two premiums? So kung nagkataon na meron akong isang anak na 21 at isa pang anak na 22 (So if ever I had a 21-year-old child and another who's 22), you are charging the government three premiums for my family. That doesn’t even sound right,” she added.
In the end, Quimbo asked PhilHealth to look into the way it charges premiums to member-beneficiaries. Untalan said he would do just that.