Labor Group slam
government for abandoning PhilHealth members in P89.9 billion
PhilHealth fund transfer
Press Release
February 3, 2025
QUEZON CITY –
Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK) expresses
outrage at the government’s abandonment of its commitment to attain
Universal Healthcare (UHC) by diverting P60 billion worth of
PhilHealth funds to the National Government.
As the Supreme Court hears
the petitions for certiorari against the transfer of PhilHealth’s
reserve funds tomorrow, February 4, we note that by diverting
PhilHealth’s reserve funds in the guise of “excess,” the government
has left direct contributors, or formally employed workers, many of
whom are minimum wage earners themselves, the sole burden of funding
healthcare of all PhilHealth members.
To make matters worse,
PhilHealth’s claims of “excess funds” are absurd, given their
inability to expand benefits and lower out-of-pocket payments, and
the increase in premium contribution rates for direct contributors
implemented in early 2024. Members should not be penalized for
PhilHealth’s inefficiency.
This was exacerbated when
Congress defunded PhilHealth and gave it a zero budget for 2025.
This is gross negligence and a debasement of the social contract
underpinning PhilHealth as a social health insurance program, which
states that the government must subsidize the premium contributions
of those who cannot afford to pay.
We are also alarmed at
several recent anecdotes of PhilHealth indirect contributors being
turned away at hospitals, a direct violation of section 9 of the UHC
Act which states that “failure to pay premiums shall not prevent the
enjoyment of any Program benefits.” We are concerned that these
anecdotes of patients being turned away may be a result of the
defunding of PhilHealth.
PSLINK has raised serious
concerns, alleging that the systematic and deliberate defunding and
mismanagement of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)
are part of a calculated strategy to pave the way for its eventual
privatization. The organization claims that these actions are
designed to shift PhilHealth from its current public service mandate
towards a profit-driven model, potentially undermining the
accessibility and affordability of healthcare for millions of
Filipinos.
Lastly, we express grave
concern over the fact that the sin tax funds from 2023 and 2024,
which, according to Republic Act 11346 or the Sin Tax Law, should be
allocated towards PhilHealth for Universal Healthcare, were not
given to PhilHealth in their entirety.
We demand the government
to give the Filipino people what they are rightfully due under the
law, and to not make them beg for the right to free, accessible, and
quality healthcare. Ang kalusugan ay karapatan, at hindi utang na
loob.