Amid Zero Subsidy for 2025, PhilHealth Reassures Commitment to Serve Members
PHILHEALTH – The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. assured its members that it will continue to pay and even improve the benefits for its members.
The lawmakers have decided to deny the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. of a subsidy in 2025. Senate President Chiz Escudero claims that the decision stemmed from the lapses of PhilHealth. According to the Senate Chief, the state health insurer failed to fully perform its function.
Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero said that the reserve funds of the state health insurer showed their failure to function. According to him, the state health insurer failed on the zero billing mandate on the Universal Healthcare Law. He expressed his hope that it will serve as a wake up call to the health insurer.
Prior to the statement of the Senate President, Senator Grace Poe said that the state health insurer will have to use its reserve funds. The lawmaker recalled that if she is not mistaken, the state health insurer has around P600 billion in a bank account.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. previously said that it will appeal the decision of the Bicameral Committee to give it a zero budget as government subsidy in 2025. The state health insurer said it will write a letter to President Bongbong Marcos.
However, Pres. Bongbong Marcos said that PhilHealth has enough funds for its operation. The Chief Executive even stressed that the state health insurer can allegedly do whatever it wants considering its huge reserve funds.
Marcos expressed his hope that the state health insurer will digitize its processes. According to the President, the government will not subsidize the entity as the money will not be used.
Recently, following the statement of Pres. Bongbong Marcos regarding the zero subsidy for the state health insurer, PhilHealth assured its members of its continued commitment to pay for the benefits of the members. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the state health insurer even vowed to enhance the benefits for the members.
“Rest assured, all PhilHealth benefits will continue to be paid and will even improve,” PhilHealth’s President and CEO Emmanuel R. Ledesma Jr. said.
Ledesma also stressed that the Bicameral Conference Committee’s decision reflects their wisdom and he believes that the Bicam “understands PhilHealth’s capacity to continue managing the National Health Insurance Program given its surplus funds”.
According to the PhilHealth Chief, the state health insurer reserves is P281 billion and surplus funds of P150 billion resulting to P489 billion total reserve funds. While many are in favor of a zero subsidy for the state health insurer, Senator Risa Hontiveros is against PhilHealth being denied of a subsidy in 2025.