Senate passes mandatory PhilHealth coverage for senior citizens

The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill providing mandatory health insurance coverage to all Filipinos 60 years and above regardless of their social or economic status.
 
Once Senate Bill 712 is enacted into law, senior citizens need not present a PhilHealth card but only a valid identification card to avail of the benefits.
 
The bill, introduced by Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and sponsored by Senator Teofisto Guingona III, seeks to provide automatic Philippine Health Insurance coverage to all senior citizens.

At present, only indigent senior citizens are entitled to PhilHealth coverage under Republic Act (RA) 7432, as amended by RA 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.
 
“As of June of this year, PhilHealth has covered 3.9 million senior citizens as lifetime members, dependents, sponsored or indigents,” Guingona said in this sponsorship speech while around 2.16 million have yet to get health insurance coverage.
 
He said the government would need about P5.2 billion annually to provide the remaining 2.16 million citizens with insurance but added the amount was small compared to the hope that would be given to the senior citizens.
 
“This is a small price to pay for the promise of universal health care we have promised our citizens. The way we treat our aging citizens, and how we spare them from the misery brought by lack of access to health services, is reflective of a nation’s collective character,” Guingona said.
 
For his part, Senate President Franklin Drilon said the measure “[would] advance the health of millions of Filipinos, and will uphold their right towards effective and easily attainable medical services.”
 
"I share the belief that the country's elderly population must be provided with accessible and sufficient health care that will help them in their twilight years, and we can attain it by enrolling every senior citizen in Philhealth," Drilon said.
 
Recto said PhilHealth coverage should be automatic and not optional for senior citizens.
 
He said PhilHealth, which has P116 billion in reserves and P62 billion in income as of December 31, 2013, could more than afford to provide insurance to the country’s elderly citizens.
 
“Only six in every 100 Filipinos today are 60 years old and above. Many of these six million 'dual citizens' are already under the PhilHealth umbrella through various schemes. But there are many who fall between the cracks and this bill seeks to shut close the gaps,” Recto said.
 
He added the national government provided P12.6 billion for sponsored members in 2013, P35.34 billion for 2014 and an estimated P37.06 billion for 2015.
 
“Let me remind you that insuring our elderly should not be viewed as a revenue loss. Rather, it should be viewed as a productive expenditure and debt paid to those who gave the best years of their lives so ours will be better,” he said.
 
He further said that it was time to pay back the senior citizens.
 
“ They have invested in our future and they are entitled to dividends. This bill settles but a small portion of what we owe them. No obligation is more outstanding,” he added. —NB, GMA News