NAGKAISA Labor Coalition Calls on Congress to Defer the Proposed Amendments to the Universal Healthcare Law

The NAGKAISA Labor Coalition calls on our Senators and Congressmen to defer the forthcoming bicameral conference committee meeting to reconcile Senate Bill 2620 and House Bill 11357, bills amending the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Act of 2019. The proposed amendments will have a grave effect on the financial sustainability of the country’s national health insurer, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and hinder PhilHealth from effectively carrying out its mandate of lowering out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures for all Filipinos.  

 

Both HB 11357 and SB 2620 lower the premium contributions of PhilHealth direct contributors – from 5% to 3.25% for the Senate version and 3.5% for the House version. This will lead to PhilHealth’s deficit ballooning to P90 billion in 2025.

 

We acknowledge the intent of some legislators to give workers a reprieve from paying high premiums, but we cannot turn a blind eye to the long term impact of the reduction of premiums, which will ultimately affect the workers’ right to accessible and affordable health care.

 

Lowering PhilHealth’s premiums at this time is ill-advised, given the controversial defunding of PhilHealth in the 2025 National Budget. The Supreme Court decision on the petitions questioning the constitutionality of the transfer of P60 billion of PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury, for which NAGKAISA is a petitioner-intervenor, has yet to be released. This will likely have an impact on the implementation of Universal Healthcare; thus, it is prudent to wait for the Court’s decision before amending existing legislation.

 

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition calls on the House of Representatives and the Senate to give the Universal Healthcare Act a chance to be fully implemented and to do a thorough assessment of UHC rather than hastily passing a bill which puts the continued roll out and expansion of benefits for the Filipino people in peril. We call on our legislators to hold a multi-sectoral consultation including workers, who pay their premium contributions, rely on PhilHealth to fund life-saving healthcare, and are fervent in their hope that the dream of affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare for all will be realized.