Senator Loren Legarda has called for reforms to address funding gaps affecting the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act, warning that delays and diversions in health funds continue to burden Filipino patients with high out-of-pocket costs.

In a recent privilege speech, Legarda said PhilHealth has been deprived of P113.44 billion in cumulative sin tax revenues from 2023 to 2026, while P106.95 billion in statutory shares from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) remain unpaid.

She also cited the 2024 order of the Department of Finance returning P60 billion in PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury.

“The fight for a just and equitable health system in the Philippines has never been easy. It is a race against time,” Legarda said.

She described how funding gaps affect ordinary families.

“There is a mother in a public hospital who chooses to go home because she lacks money even if she has a PhilHealth card. There is a grandfather who spaces out his check-ups while saving for transportation and laboratory fees. There is a child who cannot be admitted to a hospital because the parents fear the possible bill, even with supposed PhilHealth coverage,” she said.

Legarda also questioned the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients program, saying it forces patients to seek endorsements and appeals from multiple offices.

“The poor should not have to beg to live. The sick should not have to plead to be treated,” she said.

She proposed the gradual phaseout of the program and the transfer of its funds to PhilHealth to strengthen case rates and expand coverage.

Legarda urged passage of Senate Bill 1662, or the PhilHealth Automatic Funding Act, which seeks the automatic release of legally due funds and requires quarterly transparency reports from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, PAGCOR and PCSO.

“The struggle for Universal Health Care is a moral emergency, and it is a promise we must keep,” she said.