Acidre: Duterte admin should have strengthened PhilHealth
ASSISTANT Majority Leader and Tingog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre on Wednesday criticized the Duterte administration for failing to address long-standing inefficiencies in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), saying it neglected to update benefit case rates and strengthen the agency during a time of public health emergency.
“Siguro sa pang-unawa natin sa problema sa Philhealth, nakita natin hindi ho nagsimula ang problema na ito sa nakaraang taon lang kundi nandun na po yung problema na ito dahil napabayaan na po ang Philhealth ng mga naunang administrasyon,” Acidre said during Wednesday’s press briefing at the House of Representatives.
Acidre emphasized that for 12 years, PhilHealth’s benefit case rates were left untouched, even as inflation and healthcare costs rose significantly.
‘“Labing dalawang taon po, na hindi ni-review ang ating case rates ng Philhealth. Since 2012 kung ano yung binabayaran ng Philhealth sa bawat pagkakasakit, sa bawat package, yun pa rin ang binabayaran for the next 12 years until February of this year,” he said.
He noted that this period included the Duterte administration, which had six years to address the issue but failed to do so.
“Sa buong anim na taon, lalong-lalo na ng Duterte administration… sana naging masigasig ang unang administrasyon sa pag-update ng ating Philhealth packages,” Acidre said.
Another major issue highlighted by Acidre was the lack of stability in PhilHealth’s leadership during the Duterte presidency, where six different officials headed the agency in six years.
“Anim na taon po nakaupo si Duterte, anim din ang kanyang naging Pangulo ng Philhealth,” he pointed out.
“Napakahirap na magkakaroon ka ng isang Presidente ng Philhealth every year,” he said.
Acidre also criticized the decision to triple the salaries of PhilHealth executives during the pandemic while members received no corresponding increase in benefits.
“Nakita ko tumaas ang sweldo ng mga Executive Officers ng Philhealth. Nung panahon ng pandemic, imagine niyo po, ‘yung benefits natin hindi lumaki pero ang sweldo ng mga taga-Philhealth na Executive Officers nag-triple po,” he said.
Assistant Majority Leader and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Raul Angelo “Jil” Bongalon, who was also present during the press briefing, called on PhilHealth to act as a healthcare provider rather than a business enterprise.
“Isa pa I would like to emphasize that it’s now the best time for PhilHealth to act as a health insurer. Hindi naman sila negosyo. Sinasabi nga ng ating kasamahan, this is not a business enterprise, you’re a service provider and therefore act as such,” Bongalon said.
Bongalon noted that PhilHealth’s significant reserve and surplus funds should be redirected toward improving healthcare coverage and reducing the financial burden on members.
“They have P150 billion in surplus. They have P280 billion reserve fund. Meron pa silang investable fund na P490 billion as of November 2024,” he said.
He stressed that PhilHealth must prioritize expanding benefits rather than focusing on its investments.
“Hindi naman natin priority ang investment. Priority natin ang expansion of healthcare benefits para sa ating mga kababayang Pilipino,” Bongalon said.
Acidre said the inefficiencies in PhilHealth’s system have led to frustration among members who feel their premium contributions are not being maximized.
“Nagkaroon ng dissatisfaction at frustration ang mga tao kasi hindi po nagre-reflect sa benepisyo nila ang perang binabayaran nila as premium,” he explained.
He added that during the pandemic, PhilHealth’s shortcomings left many Filipinos unable to access their benefits.
“Kailangan hong may managot. Kasi po, marami pong kababayan natin ang nagkasakit, hindi ho nakakuha ng benepisyo nila,” Acidre said.
Bongalon pointed out that under the law, PhilHealth has a clear mandate to lower premium contributions if its funds are more than sufficient.
“Sinasabi rin sa batas na kung sobra-sobra ang pera ng PhilHealth, isa sa mga dapat gagawin ay babaan ang PhilHealth contribution,” Bongalon said.
