MANILA — Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo has filed a bill seeking to suspend PhilHealth premium contributions for all minimum wage earners and instead subsidize them by tapping the firm's "unspent appropriations."

Under Quimbo's House Resolution 1595, PhilHealth would utilize its unspent appropriations for premium subsidies, "providing immediate financial relief to the country's economically vulnerable workers."

Quimbo noted that in 2022, Congress gave PhilHealth P80 billion to subsidize premiums of indigent families, senior citizens, and persons with disability. However, PhilHealth reported that it failed to spend P24 billion of said amount.

The lawmaker added that in 2023, Congress again provided an appropriation amounting to P79 billion as premiums subsidy but PhilHealth also left P39 billion unspent.

“The unspent premium of PhilHealth can very well cover the premium contributions of minimum wage earners for at least a year since in 2022 their premium contribution only amounted to P19.6 billion,” Quimbo said.

According to Quimbo, the measure was also "about initiating a comprehensive review of PhilHealth’s benefits and contribution structure."