DOF eyes improving financial system of Philhealth for UHC

Nearly a year of working with officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) to fund the Universal Health Care (UHC) law, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez said last week the Department of Finance (DOF) plans to improve the financial system of the government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCC).

“The DOF team, composed of an Undersecretary, the National Treasurer and a Deputy Commissioner if the Insurance Commission, has been working closely with Philhealth since October of 2019 to achieve the President’s goal of providing universal health care [UHC],” Dominguez

said. “While funding is a key component, improvements in their financial planning and control as well as actuarial systems are fundamental to the achievement of this goal.”

The DOF chief added he believes “these will help plug all leakages so as to allow the funds from members’ premiums and the taxpayers to be utilized properly.”

Dominguez said the DOF team and new Philhealth chief Dante A. Gierran will hold a discussion on Tuesday before the GOCC’S board meeting on Thursday.

Last Friday, the finance chief told lawmakers the government is still fully committed to implementing the UHC law.

He also said they take the issues hounding Philhealth seriously and the administration is determined to put the state health insurer in solid footing.

Last month, Dominguez admitted that they cannot make secure projections on the fund life of Philhealth because its information system is “in shambles.”

This came days after Philhealth

Acting Senior Vice President Nerissa R. Santiago revealed in a Senate hearing that spending for government’s Covid-19 response slashed the GOCC’S actuarial life to just one year from more than a decade.

Under the P4.506-trillion proposed national budget for 2021 submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to Congress, the Executive branch set aside P71.35 billion in subsidies for Philhealth; the same amount the state health insurer is programmed to receive under this year’s budget.

The Department of Justice is set to end its probe on the alleged corruption and other anomalies in Philhealth and submit a report to President Duterte.