A PARTY-LIST lawmaker representing senior citizens has revealed that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) is planning to increase the premium allotment for senior citizens from P3,120 to P5,000 per patient.
Party-list Rep. Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay of Senior Citizen revealed the planned premium hike after meeting with PhilHealth acting president Roy Ferrer on June 13.
“The government intends to subsidize all of these premium payments via the 2019 national budget, from the proceeds of “sin” taxes, as mandated by law,” Magsaysay said.
The lawmaker said PhilHealth will request the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) a P27.177- billion allotment for the coverage of senior citizens in the 2019 budget.
“This is a positive and responsive action on the part of PhilHealth, a sign of goodwill of its new leadership in keeping true to its mandate of serving all senior citizens of the Philippines with affordable, reliable and sustainable health-care security,” she said.
“Hopefully, the DBM will support this move in rectifying the disenfranchisement of the elderly from the national health-care insurance program in the past,” she added.
Magsaysay also revealed that PhilHealth has pledged to resume coverage for all senior citizens as mandated by Republic Act 10546, particularly for the full implementation of the primary care benefits package.
The agency has been hounded by corruption and mismanagement issues, such as the alleged diversion of the P10.6-billion funds for senior citizens to the supposed construction of rural health units in 2015.