Senators underscore need for PhilHealth funds to remain in health care

Senators last week reiterated their stance that Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) funds should remain exclusively within the healthcare system, following a Supreme Court-issued temporary restraining order (TRO) against transferring excess PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury.

During a media forum, Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito commended the Supreme Court for the TRO, asserting that PhilHealth resources should directly benefit its members.

“This TRO is a critical step forward, but we cannot stop here. I urge our counterparts in the House of Representatives to prioritize and pass their version of the proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act before the year ends,” Ejercito said at the Kapihan sa Senado.

One key provision in the proposed UHC amendments mandates that PhilHealth funds cannot be diverted or realigned for non-healthcare purposes.

The 2024 General Appropriations Act allows the national government to reallocate surplus reserves from government-owned corporations like PhilHealth to cover unprogrammed expenses in the national budget. However, Ejercito emphasized that amending the UHC law is essential to prevent such reallocation, announcing his intent to open an inquiry into the issue.

“We would like to conduct an investigation. If not, pag-isipan natin, or yung oversight function na lang natin (let’s think about it, or maybe we can use our oversight function) on the implementation of UHC,” he said.

Senator Pia Cayetano, in a separate statement, highlighted the Supreme Court decision as evidence of the urgent need to evaluate the legality of fund transfers and their negative impact on public health.

“While PhilHealth has made strides in enhancing its benefit packages, significant gaps in our healthcare coverage still exist. Many packages for various ailments still leave patients with out-of-pocket expenses. And certain medical conditions remain uncovered,” Cayetano said. “As such, the unused funds should be effectively allocated within our healthcare system to address these unmet needs, rather than being redirected for purposes other than their intended use.”

Senator Christopher Lawrence Go also expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for responding to the public’s appeal, emphasizing that PhilHealth resources must be dedicated exclusively to healthcare.

“Bilang chairperson ng Senate Committee on Health, taus-puso ang aking pasasalamat sa Korte Suprema na nakinig sa ating mga panawagan. Nagpapasalamat din ako lalo sa mga ordinaryong Pilipinong binigyan natin ng pagkakataong gamitin ang mga nakaraang apat na Senate Committee on Health hearings upang ilabas at marinig ng gobyerno ang kanilang mga hinaing hinggil sa isyung ito (As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, I wholeheartedly thank the Supreme Court for listening to our appeal. I also thank the Filipino people who were given the opportunity to use the Senate committee hearings to air their concerns and opinions on the matter),” Go said.