Chiz on PhilHealth's zero subsidy in 2025: 'Dahil sa kapalpakan 'yun'

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Thursday said the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will get zero subsidy under the 2025 national budget due to its very own lapses.

As it still has P600-billion in reserve funds, Escudero said the state health insurer was not able to do its job of providing necessary health benefits to Filipinos.

"Dahil sa kapalpakan 'yun. Ito sana magsilbing wake up call sa kanila. Hindi man palo sa mukha na gawin nila ang trabaho nila. Hindi para sa amin na i-reward ang kapalpakan nila sa pagbibigay na naman ng perang itetengga," the Senate President said in an interview.

(That's because of their own failure. This should serve as a wake up call for them. Doing their job is not a slap on their faces. We will not reward their failure by giving them a budget that won't be used.)

Senate finance committee chairman Grace Poe had explained that PhilHealth was not given any budget for next year because it still needs to utilize its reserve funds first.

Under the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) proposed by the Executive Department, PhilHealth was allocated P74.431 billion for next year.

According to Poe, the funds that were supposed to be given to PhilHealth were realigned to sectors that need them the most.

She also said PhilHealth's cost for its operations is still included in the final version of the proposed national budget bill even if it has no subsidy.

Escudero said that under Universal Healthcare Law, PhilHealth has a "No Balance Billing" mandate in order to reduce patients' out-of-pocket expenses, but this was not being implemented on the ground.

"Hindi mahina 'yung [kanilang] absorptive capacity, ang tawag mo sa pagkakaroon ng reserve na P600 billion, hindi pagganap na sa kanilang trabaho na bigyan ng benepisyong pangkalusugan ng ating mga kababayan," he said.

(Their absorptive capacity is not weak, they just don't do their jobs to provide health benefits to our countrymen because they have a P600 billion reserve funds.)

"Ni isang pasyente yata ng PhilHealth, walang zero balance billing eh. Hindi 'yun ang rason, 'yung paglaan o hindi paglaan ng pera, hindi 'yan rason kung ba't hindi 'yan nangyayari. Sa laki ng pera nila, hindi nga nangyayari. Ba't pa namin daragdagan?" Escudero asked.

(I don't think any patient of PhilHealth has a zero balance billing. Allocating or not allocating a budget is not the reason why that's not happening. Even with the amount of money that they have, the NBB is not being implemented, so why should we add more?)

GMA News Online has requested comment from PhilHealth regarding Escudero's statements, but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

Several senators have aired their concerns on the zero subsidy for PhilHealth under the proposed 2025 budget.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, in particular, said the decision for a zero subsidy for PhilHealth is "unfair, illegal, and potentially unconstitutional."

"Denying PhilHealth support to pay the premium contribution of the most vulnerable is to deny Filipinos our right to health," she said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News