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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider House OKs bill tweaking Philippine healthcare system, UHC Act

House OKs bill tweaking Philippine healthcare system, UHC Act

Published Feb 3, 2025 12:10 pm

At A Glance

  • The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved on third and final reading the measure that seeks to overhaul the Philippine healthcare system by amending the Universal Health Care Act (UHC).

House plenary.jpgThe House plenary (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved on third and final reading the measure that seeks to overhaul the Philippine healthcare system by amending the Universal Health Care Act (UHC).

Garnering 191 affirmative votes during plenary session on Monday night, Feb. 3 was House Bill (HB) No.11357, titled, An Act strengthening the Philippine healthcare system to achieve efficiency and efficiency and to improve public health emergency preparedness.

Only three House members voted against the measure, which had been listed as priority by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). There were no abstentions.

Deputy Speaker Cebu 5th district Rep. Vicent Franco "Duke" Frasco, the presiding officer at that time, declared the bill as approved for the final time in the lower chamber this 19th Congress.

The objective of the measure is to improve efficiency and equity, and to build resilience moving forward, while learning from experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic.

HB No. 11357 seeka to adjust the premium contribution scheme for direct and indirect contributors to be derived from actuarially-adjusted rates, subject to the approval of Congress.

It also intends to adjust the premium contribution scheme for migrant workers.

Under the measure, the Department of Health (DOH) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) are mandated to provide a mechanism for lowering premium contribution rates.

It says that no portion of the PhilHealth reserve fund or any fund or income of PhilHealth shall accrue to the general fund of the national government or to any of its agencies o instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs).

It provides that any unused portion of the premium subsidy of indirect contributors shall be used exclusively for the increase in benefits.

Moreover, HB No.11357 authorizes the state health insurer to charge not more than 7.5 percent of the total reimbursements or total costs of health services paid by the corporation in the immediately preceding year, for its administrative expenses.

It provides for competition and innovation in the PhilHealth benefit delivery system by allowing alternative supply arrangements such as public, private, or consortia of public and private entities to competitively bid for the provision of PhilHealth benefits to select membership groups.

The proposed statute allows component cities and municipalities to establish and/or maintain their own Special Health Fund.

It creates the Universal Health Care Coordinating Council, which shall intensify and expedite the implementation of the UHC Act, as embodied in Republic Act (RA) No. 11223, at the national and sub-national levels, and provide a venue for policy discourse and operational collaboration among relevant agencies and organizations.

It further mandates the PhilHealth to maintain an electronic National Health Records System, as well as strengthens the health technology assessment process.

The measure--a consolidation of 26 bills--provides for additional penalties in violation of RA No. 11223.

Related Tags

House of Representatives PhilHealth Third and Final Reading Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.
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