Brosas says free healthcare bill must be a priority

Metro Manila, Philippines - Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, who is aiming for a senatorial seat, said a free healthcare bill should be a priority as Filipinos remain burdened with huge out-of-pocket expenses.

Brosas said the Universal Health Care (UHC) law still does not address high medical costs.

“Universal health [care] daw pero kailangan ng PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.), kailangan out-of-pocket muna kasi walang gwantes, walang ganito, walang ganyan,” Brosas said in the second episode of “Ang Kandidato: A NewsWatch Plus Election roundtable.”

“[On] paper, it seems tinutugunan niya, pero sa actual hindi,” Brosas said.

[Translation: They say it’s universal healthcare but you would still have to have PhilHealth membership and pay out-of-pocket expenses because there are no gloves or whatever. On paper, it seems it is addressing the problem, but actually it does not.]

Republic Act 11223, which was signed into law in 2019, seeks to realize UHC through a “systemic approach and clear delineation of roles of key agencies and stakeholders towards better performance in the health system.”

It also aims to “[e]nsure that all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health care goods and services, and protected against financial risk.”

In February, PhilHealth president and CEO Edwin Mercado told a Senate hearing that the state insurer has an objective to raise its share in the total healthcare expenditure to 18.7 percent from the current 10.6 percent.

Mercado said out-of-pocket expenses of PhilHealth members range from 44 percent to 45 percent of total medical bills. He hopes in three years’ time, that ratio would be narrowed to a range of 25 percent to 30 percent.

“Ayaw namin ng PhilHealth, ayaw namin ng insurance. Gusto namin pagdating mo sa ospital magagamot ka, ‘yon ang kailangan ng mamamayan natin,” Brosas said.

[Translation: We actually don’t want PhilHealth and insurance. We want that once you arrive in the hospital, you will be treated — that’s what Filipinos need.]

Brosas also said PhilHealth has been tainted with issues, including the controversial fund transfer of P89.9 billion in excess funds to the national treasury — a case which has been brought to the Supreme Court.