All Filipinos Are Automatically Covered By PhilHealth Starting 2017 Under President Duterte
Any non-member of the Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation (PhilHealth) is automatically covered upon availment of healthcare
service in all public hospitals under President Duterte and his administration, Senator Loren Legarda said on Thursday, December
15.
In a statement, Legarda said the 2017 national budget will
provide health assistance to all Filipinos, regardless of social status since
Congress has approved the allocation of an additional P3 billion to PhilHealth
for universal health coverage.
“The Department of Health (DOH) said there are some eight
million Filipinos still not covered by PhilHealth. It is our duty, in serving
the public, to extend basic healthcare protection to all our people. That is
why we pushed for the augmentation of the PhilHealth’s budget so that in 2017
we achieve universal healthcare coverage,” said Legarda.
Furthermore, indigent patients will not pay for anything in
government hospitals under the No Balance Billing (NBB) policy as mandated
under the Amended National Health Insurance Act (Republic Act 10606), which
Legarda principally authored.
The amount is also inclusive of the P800 million funding for
the Doctors to the Barrio program, which aims to provide equitable healthcare
services to all areas of the country through the deployment of competent and
dedicated physicians to serve the doctorless municipalities.
“The health of our people deserves to be on top of the
priorities of government. What is crucial now is to make these healthcare
benefits known by the poorest households who are the intended beneficiaries,” concluded
Legarda.
The proposed 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA) worth
P3.350 trillion has been approved by both the Senate and House of
Representatives and is expected to be signed by President Rodrigo Duterte
before Christmas.
All Filipinos Are Automatically Covered By PhilHealth Starting 2017 Under President Duterte
Reviewed by Yen
on
December 19, 2016
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