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Increasing PhilHealth's benefit packages to 30 percent across the board would be the 'best Christmas gift ever" to Filipinos. 

AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee had this to say Monday, Dec. 4, or just 10 days ahead of the scheduled meeting of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) Board of Directors. 

Believed to be included in the agenda of the board meeting was a pending proposal to increase PhilHealth's benefit packages from 10 percent to 30 percent across the board. 

"This Christmas, bigyan naman natin ang mga kababayan natin ng peace of mind, regaluhan natin sila ng assurance na 'pag nagkasakit sila, sagot ang gastos nila ng PhilHealth," said Lee, a neophyte solon in the 19th Congress. 

(Let's give our countrymen peace of mind, let's gift them with the assurance that PhilHealth will cover the expenses should they get sick.) 

Lee, who in a letter to PhilHealth dated Oct. 23, 2023 recommended a 20 to 30 percent across the board increase in all its benefit packages and coverage, pointed out that "Our countrymen constantly worry about getting sick because of the high costs of quality medical care." 

The Sorsogon native had earlier filed House Resolution (HR) No. 1407 on Oct. 26. Through the measure, he urged PhilHealth to update and increase its coverage to 20 to 30 percent as he noted that the case rate was "no longer responsive to the hospitalization cost of the beneficiaries". 

In a Nov. 29, 2023 hearing of the House Committee on North Luzon Growth Quadrangle, PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. revealed that the agency was already working on increasing the benefit packages across the board from anywhere from 10 to 30 percent. 

Although the proposal has already passed the executive committee, it still needs the approval of the PhilHealth board, Ledesma told the attending solons. 

Composed of 11 members , the board is chaired by Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa. Among its members are the following Cabinet members: Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.