Congress to go through Duterte order on OFW PhilHealth premiums

The directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) not to require overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to pay premiums still has to go through congressional deliberations, House Committee on Health chair Angelina Tan said Tuesday.

In a virtual press briefing, Tan said she believed Duterte's remark was meant to serve as a sign that lawmakers needed to look into the issue.

"I believe it has to go through Congress. I think yung statement ni President, parang to guide ang Congress mag-act on the problem na kinakaharap natin ngayon," she said.

"Kaya immediately mag-schedule kami ni Senator Bong Go para magpatawag ng meeting with PhilHealth, DOLE, POEA, and OWWA para tignan," she added.

A PhilHealth circular had increased the premium payments of OFWs whose monthly incomes ranged from P10,000 to P60,000 to 3% of their monthly salary starting this year.

The state insurer explained that the increase was mandated in the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, which Duterte signed last year.

The UHC Law stated that migrant workers were classified as "direct contributors" to the National Health Insurance Program and were thus required to pay premiums which increase yearly, starting in 2019. For this year, those with monthly income ranging from P10,000 to P6,000 would be paying a premium of 3%.

Tan said that since there were other sectors that were also classified as "direct contributors," such as those self-earning and professional practitioners, it was difficult to justify exempting OFWs.

"May mga other members doon sa direct contributors na pwedeng magco-complain din sila na bakit sila mandatory tapos ang OFW ay gagawing voluntary lamang," she said.

"Kasama sa direct contributors din natin yung maliliit din na mandatory din na sinisingilan. May mga tindahan o nagtitinda at marami pang iba. Kung bibigyan natin ng favor na ganun ang OFWs, we have to be fair sa iba pang mga direct contributors," she added.

At the same time, the coverage of the voluntary payment of premiums by OFWs should also be clarified, Tan said.

"Ang ic-clarify natin doon sa statement ay is that during the pandemic or kung yan ay lifetime. Ibig sabihin, whether mawala na yung COVID, ganun pa rin ang magiging proseso, ibig sabihin kailangan mag-amyenda talaga ng batas?" she said.

At least 170 OFW groups opposed PhilHealth's move and called for a moratorium on all state collection during the period of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and recession.

Tan has earlier said that they would consider all the concerns of OFWs when Congress looked into the provision in the UHC Law in question as part of its oversight function.

She added that when they reviewed the UHC Law to possibly amend it, they would make sure that OFWs themselves would be well-represented. — DVM, GMA News