Hike in OFWs’ PhilHealth contribution slammed


October 15, 2019
 

By

Jester P. Manalastas
 
People's Journal

TWO militant lawmakers questioned the decision of  PhilHealth to increase the premium dues for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Bayan Muna Representatives Carlos Isagani Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite decried the additional burden to the OFWs  
Based on computations of migrant groups, the new increase in PhilHealth contributions will  force OFWs to shell out up to P50,000 even before they leave the country.
The two solons said what is worse, the implementing rules of the government’s health care program  required that all land-based OFWs pay their premiums to the  Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) before they are issued overseas employment certificates (OECs).
“This effectively makes OFWs hostages of PhilHealth as they would only be allowed to leave if they pay their ransom of up to P50,000,” said Zarate, the House Deputy Minority leader.
For his part, Gaite said instead of picking on OFWs and hostaging them, PhilHealth should first address the  anomalies besieging the health fund such as  “ghost patients and ghost dialysis  services” and  other issues that drain its fund.
“In previous Congresses Bayan Muna along with other members of the Makabayan bloc have questioned the premium rate increases of PhilHealth because its officials were reported to have been given P1.5 billion in bonuses despite issues raised by the Commission on Audit over the allegedly slow processing of claims,” Gaite said.
Gaite added that it is unfortunate that despite the PhilHealth controversy its budget for 2020 is augmented in the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
“So it is really questionable why they have to force OFWs to pay more. There may be something fishy with this PhilHealth premium hike and we are asking Congress to investigate the matter,” Gaite said.
PhilHealth officials had admitted that they only have a very small utilization rate of 10 to 12 percent because of  “inefficiency and poor system.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

By Harvey Sapigao Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines) College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists. Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.” This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate he
Read more

Gaza war rages into fourth month as Blinken tours Middle East Adel Zaanoun with Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, --- Agence France-Presse

The Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza entered its fourth month on Sunday as the army again pounded the besieged Palestinian territory and US top diplomat Antony Blinken was back in the region seeking to avoid a wider escalation. Israeli airstrikes overnight and early Sunday killed at least 64 people in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory, said its health ministry. It said two journalists were killed when their car was struck. The ministry, medics, and witnesses identified them as Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for Agence France-Presse, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza who earlier lost his wife and two other children in an Israeli strike. Israeli bombardment also claimed other civilian lives in the southern city of Khan Yunis and in the Rafah area near the Egyptian border, where many of the territory's displaced people have sought refuge, AFP correspondents reported. Relatives were mourning the dead at Khan Yunis' European Hospital, am
Read more