3 ex-DOH chiefs oppose hike in PhilHealth premium

MANILA, Philippines - Three former officials of the Department of Health (DOH) are opposing any increase in the premium of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

In a seminar organized by the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, doctors Jaime Galvez-Tan, Alberto Romualdez and Francisco Duque III said that PhilHealth should increase its benefit packages first before raising the premium or membership fees it is collecting from members.

According to Romualdez, PhilHealth should invest more for its members “so that the people will be used to getting high quality health services and then increase the premium.”

Romualdez noted that PhilHealth has an “image problem for behaving like a private insurance company to accumulate profit.”

At present, he said Filipino patients pay more for healthcare services.

In 1997, patients paid 47 percent - or the so-called out-of-pocket (OPP) of their healthcare expenses. But currently, OPP is pegged at 55 percent.

“The situation of inequity is worst. The gap between the rich and the poor has worsened. The health sector has much to be desired,” Romualdez added.

Duque echoed Romualdez’s sentiment that the agency should first improve its benefits before adjusting premium of PhilHealth members.

He added that the agency’s goal to have 100 percent universal healthcare (UHC) coverage is “unrealistic.”

For his part, Galvez-Tan said that PhilHealth should spend its P110 billion reserve funds to address the “inequity in quality” healthcare in the country.

PhilHealth is required under the law to keep a part of its funds as reserves in case of a calamity or disaster.