Quimbo justifies Romualdez's call for 1-year moratorium on PhilHealth premiums

Pointing to its surplus of funds, Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo is prodding the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to seriously consider the proposed year-long moratorium on premium collections.

No less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez has called for such moratorium.

“Panawagan nga ito ni Speaker, sabi niya, pag-isipan ninyo, pwede namang mag-moratorium dahil sa totoo lang ang dami pang natitira na pondo,” Quimbo said during the recent House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability briefing on PhilHealth’s finances.

(This is the Speaker’s appeal, please think about it, a moratorium is doable because in truth, there are a lot of funds left.)

She pointed out that as a social health insurance program, PhilHealth should not be generating profits and should focus instead on maximizing benefits for its members. 

“Social health insurance program kayo...magkano ba dapat ang tubo ng isang social health insurance program?” the aspiring Marikina City mayor asked.

(You're a social health insurance program...how much profit should a social health insurance program take in?)

Proving Quimbo’s point and that of Romualdez’s, Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo responded, “Zero po ang tubo ng isang social health insurance program (A social health insurance program has zero profits.)

Quimbo scrutinized PhilHealth’s finances and questioned the need for continuous premium collection despite the significant reserves. 

To illustrate her point, she used a running faucet as an analogy.

“Meron kang gripo na may tumutulong tubig. Meron kang timba na sumasalo dun sa tubig at napuno na ang timba dahil nakabukas ang tubig. Anong dapat nating gawin?” she asked. 

(You have a faucet and water is dripping from it. You're using a pail to catch the water but now the pail is full. What will you do?)

“Para hindi po masayang ‘yung tubig, sinasara po yung gripo (We close the faucet so as not to waste the water)," answered Domingo. 

PhilHealth Senior Vice President Israel Pargas reported that the agency collected around P195 billion in direct premiums last year. 

Despite the increase in benefit spending planned for 2025, Quimbo noted that PhilHealth’s financial standing remains strong. 

“OK, so ibig sabihin kahit na po walang subsidy ngayong taon ay kayang-kaya. Hindi lang po kayang-kaya kundi kayang-kaya,” she underscored while pointing out that by the end of the year, the state health insurer would still have billions in surplus funds. 

(OK, so that means even without a subsidy this year, you can still handle it. You're very capable of handling it.)

The DOH supervises PhilHealth.