Law providing health care for all Filipinos awaits implementation

Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte set the ambitious goal of ensuring that every Filipino family gets the “appropriate, affordable, and quality health services in appropriate facilities,” as well as protecting them from financial burden due to sickness.

For this, he urged the “speedy passage” of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Bill.

“Strong political determination, not political ambition, is the guiding light,” he had said in his 2018 State of the Nation Address.

Much has happened since Duterte gave that speech.

Congress, which was dominated by his allies, gave an overwhelming vote to the bill, and in February 2019, he signed it into law.

Close to five months, however, after its enactment, the Filipinos have yet to feel the impact of the new law.

Its implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR)  is still being finalized as public consultations are still ongoing.

Recent developments have also embroiled state insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), one of the most important players in the President’s endeavour, into alleged ghost claims.

The controversy also prompted Duterte to tell PhilHealth officials to resign.  It resulted in the resignation of its board members.

Universal Healthcare Law

Under the law, all Filipinos are automatically enrolled into the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) either as direct contributors or indirect contributors.

Direct contributors refer to those who have the capacity to pay health premiums, whereas indirect contributors are those to be sponsored by the government such as senior citizens or indigents.

The law aims, among others, to expand the PhilHealth coverage to include free consultation tests as well as other diagnostic services.

All Filipino residents are envisioned to be able to avail of primary health care services even without PhilHealth identification cards.

The law also seeks to improve the doctor-to-patient ratio and increase the number of hospital beds and equipment in health facilities.

The “priority” measure had a funding requirement of P257 billion, but was instead given an allocation of only P217 billion under the proposed 2019 national budget.

IRR by August 

Dr. Mar Wynn Bello, director of the Health department’s Bureau of International Health Cooperation said efforts were well on track for the final IRR by the August deadline.

Asked what the public can immediately expect from the UHC law, within the remaining three years of Duterte’s presidency, Bello said the first target is to enroll “100 percent” of the Filipinos into the NHIP.

“Basta ma-claim mo, basta mai-prove mo na ikaw ay Filipino, ikaw ay kasama,” he said.

“Two, they will be receiving free medical services in primary healthcare facilities,” he added, referring to facilities such as municipal and barangay health stations.

Lastly, the DOH official was confident that they may institutionalize the unified implementation of the "No Balance, Billing Policy," which enables the vulnerable sectors of the program such as the poor and the elderly to pay no more in excess of their PhilHealth coverage when confined in government facilities.

Two more consultation are lined up for the IRR, in Davao and in Cagayan de Oro.

Bello also said they have identified all 33 of their “priority integration sites,” and that the signing will be possible by September.

As the DOH official sees it, the most difficult part of implementation would be the integration of health services at the level of the provinces.

“Mahirap gawin kasi hindi basta-basta papayag ang mga local government ng mga city and municipal mayors na ang mga health facilities, pati na ang mga tao nila…na i-manage ng probinsya,” he explained. —LDF, GMA News