MANILA, Philippines — Overseas Filipino Workers are no longer mandated to pay premium contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., the Palace said Monday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte directed the PhilHealth to make the premium contribution of Overseas Filipino Workers on a voluntary basis.
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In a briefing, he said in Filipino that Duterte “issued a directive to PhilHealth to make it payment of OFWs of PhilHealth premiums voluntary.”
He also said that the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will no longer require departing OFWs to pay PhilHealth premiums for the issuance of their Overseas Employment Certificate that would allow them to leave the country.
Migrant Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates said Sunday that the hike in their mandatory monthly contribution is a huge burden for OFWs and is insensitive to their plight in this time of pandemic.
Under PhilHealth circular 2020-014, OFWs who earn from P10,000 to P60,0000 a month must pay a three-percent monthly premium, up from 2.75% in 2019. Under the same circular, the minimum acceptable initial payment is a three-month premium.
An online petition on Change.org, signed by close to 300,000 persons, said “OFWs and our dependents have been already struggling amidst this pandemic and yet PhilHealth had issued a very unfrair memo regarding premium payments.”
Payment of higher premiums suspended
Roque also said in the same briefing that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III suspended a provision of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Universal Health Care law that hikes PhilHealth contribution “while we have a problem on COVID-19.”
Duque wrote in a tweet that he is calling for the suspension of Section 10.2 of the IRR of Republic Act 11223 or the UHC law “in light of COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact on OFWs.”
He added that he will recommend this to PhilHealth, an attached agency of the Health department.
“Meanwhile, we will reach out again to our stakeholders on this,” Duque added.
I call for the suspension of Section 10.2.C of the IRR of the UHC Law in light of COVID-19 and its economic impact on OFWs. We will recommend this to Philhealth for their action. Meanwhile, we will reach out again to our stakeholders on this. pic.twitter.com/VudhaLlPCI
— Francisco T. Duque III (@SecDuque) May 4, 2020
In a separate briefing, PhilHealth CEO and president Ricardo Morales said they have released a pronouncement “relaxing the collection period” of contributions.
“There is a moratorium until May 30,” he said, pointing out that this is in the spirit of the Bayanihan to Heal as One law.
Morales said the circular on the increased premium contributions covers “all direct members, those who are self-employed and paying their own premiums” and not just OFWs.
The PhilHealth president said they are also “looking at a longer period of the moratorium.” — Kristine Joy Patag