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PhilHealth processes members’ transactions in Quezon City. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File 

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PHILHEALTH

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172361206846220230926-philhealth office-MT-6.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="PhilHealth processes members’ transactions in Quezon City. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="white-space:pre-wrap">PhilHealth processes members’ transactions in Quezon City.<em> Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><span id="isPasted" style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><br/><br/></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA – Department of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said Wednesday the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) could end 2024 with about P546 billion in funds even if it transferred P90 billion to other government expenses.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Today by the end of 2024, they will make an income of P240 billion. They will spend 179, may improvement na, better benefit packages already. They will make P61 billion. By the end of the year, they will have P546 billion and we already took away the 90. So kung 150 ang gastos nila, they have good for 3 years at least,&quot; Recto said.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recto explained this to Senate Finance Committee Chair Grace Poe during the resumption of the Development Budget Coordination Committee briefing. </span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;There should be more than enough to pay for their obligations,&quot; Recto said of PhilHealth’s funds.  </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/7/8/42-million-people-possibly-affected-by-2023-philhealth-data-breach-1857">42 million people possibly affected by 2023 PhilHealth data breach</a></span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recto said PhilHealth funds are invested in government bonds.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Poe noted that during the pandemic, PhilHealth suspended increases in premium contributions.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE</strong></span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recto noted the Senate is deliberating an amendment to the Universal Health Care Act which would mandate a premium rate reduction. However, Recto said he would rather improve benefit packages.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;The President has already instructed PhilHealth to improve it (benefit package) by roughly 30 percent, if I&#x27;m not mistaken, not to mention for cancer and life threatening illnesses,” he said. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/8/7/recto-philhealth-excess-fund-not-from-members-contribution-2112">Recto: PhilHealth excess fund not from members’ contribution</a></span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recto again justified why the government PhilHealth member premiums are being increased despite having huge funds in reserve, citing a 2018 law.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;The Universal Health Care mandated to increase the rates from 3 to 5 percent for members&#x27; contributions,&quot; Recto said.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;This was delayed during the time of the pandemic so it was only applied after the pandemic,&quot; he said.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recto also cited the national budget law in justifying the use of excess PhilHealth funds for other expenses.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;The General Appropriations Act of 2024 has an unprogrammed  portion in the budget and there is there a paragraph which mandates, inuutusan ang DOF na mag-issue ng circular with regard to find balances of GOCC&#x27;s,&quot; Recto said.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2024/8/9/alamin-ilang-dagdag-benepisyo-ng-philhealth-ngayong-2024-1015">ALAMIN: Ilang dagdag-benepisyo ng PhilHealth ngayong 2024</a></span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recto added that PhilHealth had a lot of savings during the pandemic.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;It was the national government who spent for the pandemic and we did not use resources from PhilHealth,” Recto said.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Recto also explained that the PhilHealth cannot be tapped for allowances for health workers.</span></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;It is not the obligation of PhilHealth to pay the emergency allowances of our frontline workers. Like I said earlier their reserve funds were not spent during the pandemic, inako lahat ng national government. PhilHealth did not spend for a single vaccine. PhilHealth did not spend for a single frontline worker,” he said. </span></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/8/7/philhealth-studying-proposed-reduction-in-contribution-1530">PhilHealth studying proposed reduction in contribution</a></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said Wednesday the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) could end 2024 with about P546 billion in funds even if it transferred P90 billion to other government expenses.</p>

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said Wednesday the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) could end 2024 with about P546 billion in funds even if it transferred P90 billion to other government expenses.

Recto: PhilHealth to end 2024 with P546 billion despite fund transfer

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Recto: PhilHealth to end 2024 with P546 billion despite fund transfer

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 14, 2024 01:13 PM PHT

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