Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said he welcomes the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) target to raise its hospital bill coverage to 18 percent by 2025 and 28 percent by 2028.
However, Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography said this target remain far from sufficient to meet the true intent of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law.
“Masakit isipin pero totoo—hanggang ngayon, milyun-milyon pa rin ang naghihingalo hindi lang sa sakit kundi sa takot dahil walang pambayad sa pagpapagamot,” Go said.
PhilHealth made the pronouncement on April 2, a day before the Supreme Court’s (SC) continuation of oral arguments on the controversial transfer of its P89.9-billion excess reserve funds to the national treasury.
SC Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, during the oral arguments, revealed that PhilHealth only covered P50,000 of his P7-million hospital bill in 2023.
The case, widely shared online, became emblematic of public frustration with the health insurance agency’s underperformance.
Responding to Lopez, PhilHealth Senior Vice President Renato Limsiaco Jr., explained that the agency’s target is to cover 18 percent of hospital costs in 2025, rising to 28 percent by 2028, citing a long-term national health financing strategy.
But Go, who has conducted 13 Senate hearings so far on the issue, particularly PhilHealth’s accountability and health worker benefits, also observed that these projected figures—though a step in the right direction—are still far from satisfactory.
“Hindi sapat ang plano kung ang isang pasyente ay kailangang umutang o ibenta ang lupa para lang ma-discharge (The plan is not enough if a patient has to borrow money or sell land just to be discharged),” he said.
“Samantalang ang PhilHealth, napakaraming sobrang pondo na di nagagamit o napapakinabangan ng mga mamamayan lalo na yung nagkocontribute naman. Buwan-buwan ay kaltas sa sweldo nila yan (Meanwhile, PhilHealth has a lot of excess funds that are not being used or benefited by the citizens, especially those who contribute. It’s deducted from their salaries every month),” Go asserted.
Go, who has consistently questioned PhilHealth’s shortcomings—particularly the move to transfer billions in unutilized funds back to the national treasury—reminded PhilHealth to use the funds to help reduce patients’ out-of-pocket costs.
“Gamitin n’yo po ang pondo ng PhilHealth para sa health—kaya nga PhilHealth, para sa ‘health’’. At tandaan natin ang PhilHealth po, hindi negosyo ‘yan (Use PhilHealth funds for health—that's why PhilHealth is for 'health'. And let's remember PhilHealth, it's not a business),” he reiterated.
“Insurance ‘yan na dapat po meron tayong masasandalan tuwing tayo ay nagkakasakit (It's insurance that we should have something to rely on whenever we get sick),” he emphasized.