MANILA, Philippines — The low coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) in hospital bills was questioned in light of its substantial unutilized funds, with a lawmaker mulling a full investigation into the matter.
Sen. JV Ejercito, who was the principal author of the Universal Healthcare Act in the Senate, criticized Philhealth for maintaining P89.9 billion in reserve funds.
While the Department of Finance (DOF) has gained the ire of other lawmakers for ordering Philhealth to return the unutilized funds to the country’s coffers, Ejercito questioned why Philhealth had not used the money at all.
“Hangga’t nakikita natin na may kababayan tayong pumipila pa, humihingi ng tulong, hindi makabayad sa hospital, hindi pa natin nakikita nagiging successful tayo. And then you will say that there is a P90 billion excess?” Ejercito said in a media briefing on Wednesday, October 9.
(Until we have countrymen lining up, asking for help, unable to pay their hospital bills, we cannot see success. And then you will say that there is a P90 billion excess?)
Ejercito issued a stern reminder: Philhealth was not a bank or a business, it was a government entity that must use its funds to serve the public.
“We will look into this and have an investigation,” Ejercito said.
The senator said he saw hospital billings that amounted to P400,000 to P500,000, of which Philhealth only covered P12,000.
Ejercito said the budget deliberations for the Department of Health and its attached agencies, which include Philhealth, are still ongoing after Sen. Pia Cayetano suspended the hearing. Ejercito said that he would attend the following hearings and have Philhealth explain.
If he was not satisfied with Philhealth’s explanation, he would file a resolution seeking to probe Philhealth.
Philhealth’s P89.9 billion is actually a mere portion of its unused funds.
DOF Secretary Ralph Recto previously disclosed that Philhealth still has around P500 billion worth of excess funds accumulated over the years.
Ejercito is not the only senator questioning how Philhealth could have large excess funds amid high hospital bills.
Senate President Francis Escudero said the government subsidy to Philhealth could have been used for other causes, seeing that it has half a trillion in reserve funds.
Escudero said Philhealth could afford to lower contribution rates given the funds.
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