An opposition legislator has urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to further defer the premium hike set to take effect this June.
Rep. Arlene Brosas of the Gabriela Women’s Party said the looming Philhealth premium increase “will bite hard on already depressed wages amid steep prices of goods and services.”
“The deferment of the higher PhilHealth premium is even more necessary at this point amid the successive rounds of price hikes since January, and the still unresolved controversies in the state insurer,” Brosas noted.
Brosas, whose party-list group won one seat in Congress in the May 9 elections, also renewed her push for the adoption of a resolution “to suspend any PhilHealth premium hike.”
“We will push for the passage of House Joint Resolution No. 34 which we filed in January to suspend any PhilHealth premium hike, but more importantly, we will continue to push for amendments to the Universal Health Care Act in the next Congress to remove the automatic premium hikes,” Brosas added.
The Gabriela party list lawmaker said the insurance-based system of healthcare in the country must be revamped so that Filipino women and the people will not foot the bill.
“Philhealth contributions are basically income deductions which could have been spent by workers on food and other necessities. Healthcare should be primarily shouldered by the national government, thru sufficient state funding in the public health system,” said Brosas.
Brosas’ party list group included in its platform the push for a free public healthcare system, as well salary increase and additional benefits for health workers and professionals.