PhilHealth banking on passage of Universal Health Care bill

CEBU CITY – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) awaits President Duterte’s signature to the Universal Health Care (UHC) bill that is now one of those certified measures for his approval.

PhilHealth Acting President and CEO Dr. Roy Ferrer told media at a news forum here Tuesday that the UHC program hopes to integrate health care services and providers all over the country.

The UHC bill also covers all services in government health facilities, from the preventive to curative delivery network of Rural Health Units and tertiary hospitals, Ferrer said. Funding for UHC will come from the De- partment of Health (DOH), PhilHealth, the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Offices (PCSO) and the incremental sin tax collection.

Under UHC, all Filipinos automatically become members of PhilHealth either as direct contributors and those who are being subsidized by government. All basic services are free, including hospital accommodation, laboratory tests, doctors’ professional fee and medicines, Ferrer said.

“For those with private accommodation PhilHealth covers 70 percent of the expenses,” he said. With a net income of P8.3 billion, PhilHealth, is robust enough to support UHC, according to Dr. Israel Francis Pargas,.