The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) is strongly opposed to the planned increase next year of the premium contribution to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), saying the state health insurer needs to improve its services first.
ECOP president Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr., in a broadcast interview on 28 November, expressed dismay at the scheduled hike in the contribution rate by January 2024, pointing to the many complaints purportedly levied against PhilHealth’s services.
At the same time, the business leader called for a revamp of the national health insurer’s regulations.
Unless the law is amended, member contributions to PhilHealth are set to increase in January in accordance with the Universal Healthcare Law. The looming increase comes after two previous hikes had been postponed, according to the agency.
Based on the schedule, the contribution rate will be increased to 5 percent from the current 4 percent as part of PhilHealth’s plan to expand its members’ benefits.
Ortiz-Luis Jr. declared that the employers’ group is questioning the increase because “napakaraming reklamo sa PhilHealth (there are so many complaints against PhilHealth).”
“Dapat gawin dyan sa PhilHealth, revamp, baguhin uli ang rules nila… Sayang lang kontribusyon. Marami nang tao ang nagrereklamo. COVID lang yata binabayaran eh…. Ngayon halos walang pakinabang ang tao. Dapat i-review yan, dapat imbestigahin yan bakit ganyan,” he asserted.
[PhilHealth needs revamping and the rules need changing…. Contributions just go to waste. Many people are already complaining. It seems only COVID (cases) are being paid…. Nowadays it’s of little use to people. It needs to be reviewed, investigated.]
In contrast, Ortiz-Luis said employers are agreeable to the scheduled increase in worker contribution to the Pag-IBIG Fund next year. He said the savings and housing loan agency has postponed its slated increase three times upon the employers’ request, so ECOP in turn is accepting of the contribution hike.
“Tatlong beses na ni-request namin, tatlong beses ‘pinospone’ yan. Ngayon yung adjustment tatlong beses pinospone, pumayag na kami. Nag-usap kami pero even that hindi pa nai-implement. Gusto nila (Pag-IBIG) dadaan pa sila sa Malacanang, hihingi sila ng permiso,” explained the industry stalwart.
[We requested for the postponement three times and were heard three times. Now following the third postponement, we’ve agreed. We talked about it but the increase has not yet been implemented. They want to go and ask Malacanang for permission first.]
Pag-IBIG earlier said the higher contribution would start by January as approved by the board of trustees. It said that before January, it would again confirm with Malacanang about pushing through with the increase.
Last March, Pag-IBIG suspended the contribution hike that was supposed to take effect this year since workers and business owners were still recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
By January, a member’s contribution would on average rise from P100 to P200, with the employer contributing the same amount.
