'Hindi namin magagamit': OFWs demand 5% PhilHealth premium hike scrapped
MANILA, Philippines — The biggest organization of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and migrant Filipinos slammed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration for increasing members’ premium contribution to Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) from 4% to 5% this year.
The state-run health insurer earlier announced on Friday that it will push through with its planned increase in members' contributions — a move that will affect individuals with salaries between P10,000 to P100,000.
"The premium hike -- which will bring deductions to P500-P5,000 for OFWs earning P10,000-P99,999.99 a month -- is an additional financial burden for OFWs," said Migrante International on Saturday.
"The Marcos Jr. regime should know that while it hikes PhilHealth premium contributions, most OFWs face stagnant wages and increasing cost of living and rent. OFW families in the Philippines also struggle with higher cost of living and rent, as well as unemployment and stagnant wages, in the Philippines."
PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Office Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. earlier said that the additional funds to be collected will be used to implement "positive changes" in PhilHealth benefits.
Marcos earlier suspended the implementation of a premium hike from 4% to 4.5% in 2023 due to the outcry of Filipino migrants and others. However, Ledesma said that suspending the premium hike again would mean P17 billion loss.
OFWs won't benefit from it
Migrante likewise found Ledesma's earlier statement on the premium hike to be insensitive, saying that the supposedly insignificant increase will be widely felt.
"The truth is that OFWs do not benefit from PhilHealth as its coverage is only in the Philippines," the group said.
"When OFWs get sick or need medical attention abroad, they are subject to considerable medical fees and costs in other countries and survive through the insurance packages that they pay for. For OFWs, PhilHealth contributions are simply extortion by the Philippine government. These contributions are yet another proof that the government treats OFWs as milking cows and deny them of services," it added.
Migrante also rejected the government's statement, saying that it doesn't have funds for health and other social services in light of reported corruption and plunder of public funds.
The statement was made in response to a barrage of complaints about corruption that had been directed at PhilHealth in the past.
In addition to advocating for the ultimate objective of abolishing PhilHealth, the group urged all Filipinos to voice their concerns and actively protest against the proposed premium hikes and any levies imposed by the state.
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