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Duterte considering options to resolve OFW issues vs. PhilHealth -official


President Rodrigo Duterte is looking at options to address the protests from OFWs stemming from the the provision in the Universal Health Care (UHC) law requiring them to pay PhilHealth premiums, regardless if they already have a non-Philhealth health insurance.

“Merong kino-consider ang ating Pangulo kung anong gagawin rito,” PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV on Monday.

Morales was referring to the provision of the UHC law which requires OFWs earning P10,000 to P60,000 per month to pay 3% of their salary for Philhealth premium this year. The income ceiling and the corresponding rate will also increase in the succeeding years as follows:

 

  • 3.5% for those earning P10,000 to P70,000 a month in 2021
  • 4% for those earning P10,000 to P80,000 a month in 2022
  • 4.5% for those earning P10,000 to P90,000 a month in 2023
  • and 5% for those earning P10,000 to P100,000 a month in 2024 and 2025

Morales clarified that they are not forcing compliance on OFWs, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and that is not about to change especially now when most incomes have been reduced due to quarantine measures amid the COVID-19 threat.

“Actually, hindi tayo namimilit. Dahil sa COVID-19, we are observing moratorium. Hindi natin pinipilit, pero mayroong mga gustong magbayad,” he said.

“Pero hindi naman natin puwede sabihin na huwag magbayad lahat [ng direct contributors] kasi baka naman lahat hindi magbayad,” Morales added.

Morales also stressed that the listed dependents of OFWs can benefit from the payments.

At present, Morales said only 3.6 million of the estimated 10 million OFWs are paying PhilHealth premium.

In 2019, Morales said PhilHealth collected P1.02 billion worth of premium payments from OFWs. The benefits paid out to OFWs and their dependents, on the other hand, reached P1.7 billion.

“Iyong 3.6 million OFWs po na nagbayad, 7 million po iyan kasama ang kanileng dependents. Mas malaki po ang napakinabangan ng OFWs and their dependents kaya po roon sa naibayad,” he said.

Morales, however, conceded that it would be practical for OFWs and their family members who already have health insurance to not enroll and pay PhilHealth for the same benefit.

“Magiging ano na lang sa kanila iyon, optional. Kung meron na silang coverage, kung ayaw naman nila rito sa PhilHealth, di naman natin sila mapipilit.”

However, Morales said PhilHealth is not a lawmaking body and as such, does not have the authority to amend the UHC law to remove its provisions imposing a fine ranging from P5,000 to P50,000 on direct contributors — including OFWs — who will not pay the mandatory contribution.

“Nasa batas po na mandatory. Tagapagpatupad lang po kami ng batas,” he said. --KBK, GMA News

Tags: philhealth, ofws, news
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