A nationwide rollout of the Universal Health Care Law is not possible for next year, Health Secretary Francisco Duque told lawmakers Wednesday.
“The strategic readiness of the DOH [Department of Health] in the implementation of the Universal Health Care, year one is 2020, and it is a progressive realization [that] it cannot be a national rollout,”
Duque told a budget briefing at the House of Representatives Wednesday.
“We cannot do a national rollout because of budgetary constraints and also because of the readiness. We need to do capacity building in the different provinces, who under the law will be the convergence points of integration,” he said.
Under the UHC law, all Filipino citizens are automatically enrolled into the National Health Insurance Program as direct contributors or those who have the capacity to pay premiums, and indirect contributors sponsored by the government such as the poor and senior citizens.
The program has a funding requirement of P257 billion, but was given an appropriation of only P217 billion under the 2019 national budget.
For 2020, the Department of Budget and Management has recommended a budget of P166.5 billion—P67.4 billion of which is for the National Health Insurance Program of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., and P92.2 billion for the DOH.
Duque said the DOH has identified provinces which will serve as the model for the implementation of the components of the UHC Law, covering service delivery, health regulation, health care financing, governance and performance accountability, and local health systems development.
Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said 33 areas around the country will serve as initial implementation sites of the UHC Law, namely: the National Capital Region: Valenzuela City, Parañaque City; Region 1: Dagupan City; Cordillera: Baguio and Benguet; Region 2: Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino; Region 3: Bataan, Tarlac; Region IV-A: Batangas, Quezon; Region IV-B: Oriental Mindoro; Region V: Masbate, Sorsogon; Region VI: Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Iloilo; Region VII: Cebu; Region VIII: Biliran, Leyte, Samar; Region IX: Zamboanga del Norte; X: Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental; XI: Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte; XII: Saranggani, South Cotobato; Caraga: Agusan del sur, Agusan del Norte and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Maguindanao.
House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez assured the public that the House leadership has been working hard to address the UHC funding gap.
“Speaker [Alan Peter] Cayetano tasked us to address the funding gap for the implementation of the Universal Health Care law to provide affordable and better health care service for Filipinos. This is also our commitment to President Duterte’s better health care service for Filipinos,” Romualdez said.
The House has approved on third and final reading the measure imposing additional excise taxes on alcohol products, heated tobacco and vapor products.
The revenues from the Palace-backed bill will be used to fund the UHC law.