Leachon urges restoration of PhilHealth funds

The proposed 2027 budget of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) should not be reduced, health reform advocate Dr. Anthony Leachon said Wednesday, 30 September.

Leachon made the statement in an online video message after the House of Representatives approved a proposed health sector budget that includes about P74 billion for PhilHealth. The figure is significantly lower than the amount PhilHealth had sought.

“Dapat ipondo ang PhilHealth,” Leachon stressed.

“PhilHealth should be funded.”

Leachon lamented that Filipinos continue to shoulder a high share of out-of-pocket hospital expenses compared with other Asian countries.

Leachon lamented that the Philippines has high out-of-pocket expenses comparable to Myanmar which has 71 percent, Cambodia at 60 percent and Laos at 44 percent.

“So ang taas ho ng binabayad natin sa hospitalization na dapat hindi naman like for example like Commonwealth nations like UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, walang babayaran doon,” he said.

(So we are paying more for hospitalization that should not happen like for example in Commonwealth nations like the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand that have none.)

“Thailand halos walang binabayaran,” Leachon also cited.

(Thailand almost has no out-of-pocket expenses.)

Because of what he described as annual budget cuts to the corporation, he expressed doubts that PhilHealth would achieve its target of reducing Filipinos’ out-of-pocket hospital expenses to 37.8 percent by 2028.

“P800 billion ang kailangan nila para ma-reach ang 38 percent sa susunod na 2028,” he said.

“P800 billion is needed to reach 38 percent by 2028.”

Leachon said PhilHealth should receive more funding, citing laws that mandate the corporation to receive funds collected from “sin taxes,” as well as shares from the earnings of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

During the House budget hearing on 24 September, Leachon recounted that Bataan 2nd District Rep. Albert Garcia, the budget sponsor, revealed that the government had withheld P311 billion that PhilHealth was supposed to receive from sin taxes, PAGCOR and PCSO.

Because of this, Leachon demanded, “I-restore ang withheld funds. Dapat isoli ’yan, ang P311 billion na ’yan.”

“The withheld funds should be restored. The P311 billion should be returned.”

“Ang laki ho nawawala sa ating pera at wala ho nag-a-audit diyan,” he lamented.

“We are losing a lot of money and no one is auditing it.”

The health reform advocate said he believes PhilHealth’s annual funding should be P541 billion.

“Annual funding ng PhilHealth dapat P541 billion.”

“PhilHealth’s annual funding should be P541 billion.”