Palace defends SSS, PhilHealth contributions hike

MANILA, Philippines - Registered members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and Social Security System (SSS) will have to pay higher contributions starting this month, but Malacañang claimed that "this will not be too much of a burden" to them.

Effective January 1, the SSS contribution would be up from 10.4 percent to 11 percent of a member’s monthly salary.

The hike is equivalent to an additional monthly contribution of P6 for every P1,000 increment in the monthly salary ceiling.

With this increase, an employee with a monthly salary of P15,000 should now pay P1,680 in contributions, with P1,135 to be shouldered by the employer.

The contribution of the self-employed, voluntary members, and overseas Filipino workers with the same monthly salary will be P10 lesser but they will have to shoulder the entire amount.

For the new SSS contribution table, click here.

Meanwhile, employed PhilHealth members who used to pay P175 in monthly contributions should now pay P200.

This is after the agency adjusted the salary bracket floor for the employed sector from P7,999 and below to P8,999 and below.

In the previous salary bracket, PhilHealth members with monthly salary of P7,999 and below should pay P175 in monthly contributions.

But in the adjusted bracket, all members with monthly salary of P8,999 and belowe will now have to pay P200 in contributions.

The amount will be shared equally by the employer and the employee.

For the new PhilHealth contribution table, click here.

Also effective this month is the new PhilHealth premium rate of P2,400 for individually paying members (IPMs) with a monthly income of P25,000 and below.

IPMs refer to self-employed and voluntary members, including those under the Kalusugang Sigurado at Abot-Kaya sa PhilHealth Insurance program and the group enrollment scheme.

These individuals can choose from three payment schemes: P600 per quarter, P1,200 semi-annually or P2,400 per annum.

But the IPMs with an income of more than P25,000 shall continue to pay P3,600 in annual premium.

In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Sec. Sonny Coloma said the hikes in SSS and PhilHealth contributions were studied before being implemented.

"Iyon naman pong mga bagay na iyan produkto ng pag-aaral, paga-analisa at pagtataya, assessment on costs and benefits. Kasi po, hindi naman maaring libre iyong mga benepisyong iyan," Coloma said.

The Palace official also claimed that the rate increase will not be a great burden to both employers and employees, as a better provision of member benefits will be assured.

"[T]initiyak naman na hindi magkakaroon ng masyadong mabigat na pasanin doon sa mga empleyado o sa mga beneficiaries," he said.

"Sa lahat ng pagkakataon, tinitingnan kung paano pa mapapabuti o mapapahusay iyong pagbibigay ng benepisyo sa mga mamamayan sa isang paraan na hindi naman lilikha ng mabigat na pasanin na hindi naman nila kakayanin."