(MANILA BULLETIN)

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda says he is exploring the prospect of a separate insurance fund under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to address the healthcare financing gap of senior citizens.

In a statement Wednesday, April 3, Salceda said the so-called welfare gap—or what the government needs to grant seniors so they may have a decent life—was around P9.1 trillion.

Around 18 percent of this, or about P1.64 trillion, accounts for the healthcare financing gap.

“The risk profile is different, so the fund also has to be different,” he said.

Salceda, an economist, says this gap causes the failure to address chronic conditions of the elderly that require primary and supportive healthcare. 

“The unfilled gap is in acute or catastrophic health care,” the Bicolano said. “Without insurance, such medical expenses can be ruinous to ordinary families with senior citizens”.

“The very limited case rates under PhilHealth’s existing packages simply won’t do,” he stressed.

The average senior citizen, or Filipinos 60 years old and above, make around P3,000 per month. This keeps around 47 percent of them below the poverty line.

Salceda is suggesting that the Department of Health (DOH) exhaust of all its fiscal resources before a separate insurance fund is established.

He said the department’s absorptive capacity “typically falls short”, with around P40 billion in excess funds ready to use for a more comprehensive insurance system for seniors.

This was on top of the excess reserve funds of PhilHealth, he said.

The veteran lawmaker points out that senior citizens’ healthcare is a “structural” issue that needs to be taken into consideration alongside other issues on the welfare of the elderly.

Salceda noted that the core of this issue was the increasing need for specialized services and the reduced personal incomes due to retirement.

“[This] naturally produces a gap in personal capacity to finance not just healthcare, but even basic necessities and the little pleasures that come with dignified old age,” the solon underscored.