P135B for free health care eyed

The Duterte administration has an estimated allocation of P135.56 billion for the Universal Health Care (UHC) law if it is enacted this year, the Palace said yesterday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said funding for the UHC will be ramped up all the way to P256.31 billion on the fourth year of the law’s implementation.

“The key cost driver here is healthcare financing, to provide for premium subsidies and primary care capitalization for the Filipinos who need it most,” Duque said.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at the recent Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting, the legislators committed to pass the bill before the end of the year.

The health insurance under the UHC will be pooled into PhilHealth to allow the state agency to have negotiating power with healthcare providers.

“To cover the entire Philippine population, the proposal was to simplify PhilHealth membership into two types which are contributory and non-contributory,” Duque added.

“All Filipinos who are not formally employed or remitting taxes are automatically considered non-contributory members and thereby whose premium shall automatically be subsidized by the national government. This will replace the current point of care and point of service enrollment,” he said. CL