Duterte certifies universal healthcare bill as urgent

President Duterte has certified as urgent a bill providing universal healthcare for Filipinos to ensure its swift passage in Congress.

The President pushed for the approval of the measure that aims to provide health care benefits for all Filipinos under the state-owned Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) during a lengthy Cabinet meeting on Monday.

“I am pleased to announce that our Universal Health Care Bill which we sponsored, defended, and passed in the House of Representatives was certified as urgent in tonight’s Cabinet meeting!” Roque tweeted late Monday night.

The House of Representatives has passed on third and final reading its version of the universal healthcare bill last September. The Senate on the other hand has yet to pass its version.

An urgent certification from the President allows lawmakers to pass the bill on second, third, and final reading on the same day.

The House bill cited the policy of the state to adopt “an integrated and comprehensive approach to health and development and endeavor to provide every Filipino healthy living conditions and access to needed cost-effective and quality promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services, without suffering financial hardship when obtaining them.”

Under the bill, every Filipino will be entitled to the benefits of the National Health Security Program, including inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care services encompassing preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative medical, dental, and mental health services.

The bill also aims to reconstitute PhilHealth into the Philippine Health Security Corporation (PHSC) while the National Health Insurance Fund will be renamed as the National Health Security Fund.

As of 2016, around 93 million Filipinos are covered by PhilHealth.

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Tuesday said he was hopeful of the immediate approval of the Universal Health Care bill when the Senate resumes regular session this month.

“The increasing prices of basic goods make the passage of the Universal Health Care bill even more critical,” Ejercito said.

“I applaud President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to certify the bill as urgent. We know that health care is a major component of our people’s expenditure,” he stressed.

The senator noted that Filipinos shouldered 54.2 percent of their health expenditures in 2016, while the government shares only comprise 34.2 percent of the total health expenditures.

“With the prices of fuel, transportation, and basic goods skyrocketing, the passage of this bill will mean a lot to Filipino families in terms of improving their quality of life,” the senator said.

He said the Universal Health Care bill primarily seeks to uplift the health condition of every Filipino by providing efficient, quality, and accessible health services to them.

He also said the measure provides for the automatic inclusion of every Filipino into the National Health Insurance Program of PhilHealth.

“This is especially beneficial for poor Filipinos and those who live in far-flung areas currently not reached by the government’s health service,” he said.

“I view universal health care as an integral to our anti-poverty drive. Ensuring good health for Filipinos is crucial to economic development because ensuring the well-being of all Filipinos means that they can be more productive, which further means they can better overcome poverty,” Ejercito stressed.

“(I’m) hoping to work on the passage of this landmark legislation once we resume session,” he added.