DoH assures PhilHealth can cover benefits

The Department of Health (DoH) assured the public on Monday that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has a sufficient surplus of funds to cover health benefits for all Filipinos throughout the year.

Starting 1 January, PhilHealth began implementing its P284 billion Corporate Operating Budget, according to the DoH. This includes a 10 percent increase in benefits compared to last year.

The corporation is currently increasing case rates for the most used benefit packages, including those for community-acquired pneumonia, hypertension and animal bites, among others.

“The transfer of PhilHealth funds revived the issue of Universal Health Care. For years, PhilHealth funds languished in the bank, far from and unused by ordinary Filipinos," Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa said.

"If the transfer of funds had not happened, the call to use it would not have intensified, because PhilHealth must pay the benefits of its members," Herbosa explained.

Last year, Herbosa said the state-run insurer has a P150-billion surplus from its 2024 budget to cover the subsidy for indirect members.

The Health chief made the statement as PhilHealth was expected to receive no subsidy from the national budget. Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Grace Poe had earlier revealed that PhilHealth has P600 billion in reserve funds during the bicameral committee discussions on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill. Poe said the reserve funds must be used first because "it is just wasted."