A measure mandating the government to include all indigent, abandoned, orphaned and persons with disabilities (PWDs) under Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) coverage has been filed at the House of Representatives.
House Bill 5012, filed by Nationalist People’s Coalition Rep. Angelina Tan of Quezon, seeks to help the underprivileged and neglected sector.
The bill defines indigent as a person who has no visible means of income or whose income is insufficient for the subsistence of his family.
An orphan is described in the bill as a person who has been deprived of medical help after the death of his or her parents or guardians.
Likewise, the bill also covers the PWDs who were abandoned or have no known family willing and capable to take care of them.
In filing the bill, Tan said the state should protect and promote the right to health of disabled persons by adopting an integrated and comprehensive approach to their development, which shall make essential health service to them at affordable cost.
“The bill will enable all persons with disability to feel more secure because of the medical and health services they will get when need arises,” she said.
Tan said Republic Act 7277, or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, provides for the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and their integration to the mainstream of society.
Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz