SEN. GUINGONA EYES EFFICIENT HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY
TO PHIC MEMBERS
Quality, accessible and affordable healthcare will empower Filipinos

Senator Teofisto "TG" Guingona III has filed Senate Resolution 470 that directs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on how the National Health Insurance Program is ensuring efficient delivery of benefits to its members, and guarantee financial risk protection.

The Senate inquiry will be held on February 4, 2014, with the officials of the Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) as resource persons.

Sen. Guingona, Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said the inquiry will likewise determine if the implementation of the Aquino administration's Kalusugang Pangkalahatan is going without a hitch.

Aside from being enrolled in the national health program, Sen. Guingona insisted that Philhealth members should be informed properly on what they can avail, where to avail and how to claim benefits for their own protection from high costs of health care.

Sen. Guingona cited the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey and the 2009 Joint Delivery Review by the DOH and Philhealth indicating the wide disparity between the rich and the poor in terms of utilizing Philhealth benefits. The NDHS Survey attributed the following reasons to the low utilization rate of poor members: 1) Having little or no resources to pay the remainder of the bill after deducting Philhealth claim; 2) Absence or inadequate Philhealth-accredited facilities; 3) Having inadequate information of their benefits and procedures to claim.

According to Philippine National Health Accounts from 2004 to 2011, Philhealth contributed a measly 8.5 percent to the Total Health Expenditure in the country, while households' out of pocket expenditure on health average to 54.8 percent.

"The steep out of pockets payment to finance health care needs is a heavy burden to families, especially those belonging to lower income groups," Sen. Guingona lamented.

The DOH endeavored to realize the Universal Health Care (UHC) program of the Aquino administration. The DOH defines UHC as the provision to the Filipino people of the highest possible quality of health care that is accessible, efficient, adequately funded, fairly financed and appropriately used by an informed and empowered public.

"This is a huge undertaking and the payoff for our countrymen is definitely going to be immense. Through this inquiry we will be able to determine policy and remedial legislation to ensure access to affordable and quality health care for all Filipinos," Sen. Guingona said.