Pondo ng PhilHealth, dapat bang ibalik sa Treasury? | The Mangahas Interviews
Sa panayam kay DOH Sec. Herbosa, tinalakay ang isyu ng pagbabalik ng mga hindi nagamit na pondo ng PhilHealth sa Treasury. Tinalakay rin ang epekto nito sa mga proyektong pangkalusugan at ang pangangailangan ng mas mahusay na pamamahala ng PhilHealth upang mapataas ang benepisyo ng mga miyembro. Panoorin ang video. #TheMangahasInterviews
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00:00Now Secretary, it seems like you're saying little about the issue of the return of the PhilHealth fund to the Bureau of the Treasury.
00:11They want to return P90 billion and the protest of some of our countrymen is in court to stop this.
00:22What do you think? Should this fund be returned?
00:26Meanwhile, we're discussing so many issues and so many solidarities that should be protected.
00:34That's a good question and it's good that I had the opportunity to explain this.
00:39You know, the fund that they're saying was taken wasn't stolen.
00:45It didn't come from a member's contribution.
00:48It also didn't come from a reserve fund.
00:51It also didn't come from investment money of PhilHealth savings.
00:55It came from a government-appropriated subsidy for the poor, senior citizens, and PWD.
01:08Every year, PhilHealth estimates how many senior citizens, PWD, and the poor.
01:17Its premium is the payment of the premium of these three sectors.
01:23Every year, they ask for a lot.
01:27What they enroll is always less by about P30 billion.
01:32This is not called savings.
01:35This is government appropriated that is not programmed.
01:40Because you asked for the money, you didn't use it for its intended use.
01:44It's not intended to pay for the hospitals and PhilHealth benefits.
01:48They get it from the premium.
01:51But when you don't enroll, it's an excess fund.
01:55You can't call it savings.
01:57For many years, PhilHealth has been using savings and depositing it in treasury bonds.
02:04The Department of Finance is now paying the treasury of interest.
02:09They're also paying it to pay the big interest.
02:12The DOF said it's wrong.
02:16Because the government, if you asked for money and you didn't use it for the purpose you said you will use it,
02:23you should return it.
02:25Correct.
02:26That is what all of our agencies are doing.
02:30So now, under the 2024 law, it is included that you can use the unprogrammed appropriations,
02:38the money given to the GOC that you didn't use,
02:43you can take the DOF and use it for other programs that are needed.
02:48So when it was released, there was 89.9.
02:50That's only three years.
02:52They just got three years, the term of BBM.
02:55So the excessive appropriations for three consecutive years,
03:00they said return it and we will use it for other things.
03:04No one opposed this.
03:05When it was explained, the DOF did a good job.
03:09They asked DOJ if it's legal.
03:12They asked COA if it's legal.
03:15They asked GOCC.
03:17They asked OGCC.
03:18And when it was presented to the board, because the board or PhilHealth will decide,
03:24no one opposed it.
03:26So it was approved.
03:28Now, what I requested to the DOF, Secretary Recto,
03:32the health advocates will be mad at us because I'm sure we should use it for health.
03:40He said yes, health for health.
03:42So the first 20 billion, we used it for the health emergency allowance because there's still 27.4 billion.
03:50So August 21, another 10 will be returned.
03:55So we don't owe anything.
03:56Well, we haven't given it to all health workers,
03:59but our promise by October is that all health workers will be paid during COVID.
04:06Now the others, we will put it in other projects of the president.
04:10There are cancer centers being built in the Philippine Lung Center.
04:15We have multi-specialty hospitals being built in Clark and other health projects.
04:22And of course, not all health will be given a bracelet.
04:27But if you ask me, the bracelet of an island, when you go to an island, it's also health-related.
04:34Because the mother who should have a cesarean, you know she dies because there's no boat at night.
04:41If you put a bracelet on her, it's just a tricycle and you can go to the hospital where there's a cesarean section.
04:47She's alive.
04:48Normally, she's dying and bleeding.
04:50So to me, I would rather see funds of the government used for actual projects that will benefit the Filipino people,
04:58than keeping it in the bank, earning interest, and asking them when they will use it.
05:06Secretary, it looks like there's no real issue.
05:11The funds that are not being used and returned to the treasury, that's the law.
05:16But there are two things. One, they say the right to health is different.
05:22Other GOCCs may return because they are not that fundamental.
05:28For your information, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation received a bigger amount, P250 billion.
05:36This is the money that the national government is giving as a subsidy for our bank accounts in case of bank run or bank disaster.
05:45Our deposits are insured. There's no background for good management.
05:50They will just say we will use it. So it's bigger, P250 billion, three times as much as the P80 billion.
05:57They say that's not a fundamental or basic right to health.
06:03That's one thing. They say the PhilHealth fund that will be returned is different.
06:08Secondly, you mentioned that this should be the government subsidy for indirect members,
06:15the indigenous, 4Ps, PWDs, elderly.
06:19They say the problem with PhilHealth is that the support value is still low and the absorptive capacity is still low.
06:27Why didn't they want it?
06:29Actually, you're right. The problem is not the premium because the premium is subsidized by the national government.
06:37If you have support value, if you have pooled money, that's the premium you paid.
06:43That's what you should get, the subsidy for health care. You're right, I'm falling.
06:51In fact, the Department of Health has a debt of P15 billion to PhilHealth, to DOH Hospitals.
06:59That's big, P15 billion.
07:01Even now, it's not being paid.
07:04I told them to pay P15 billion instead of getting DOF money for other funds.
07:10To me, it's all about efficiency.
07:13Correct.
07:14The board of PhilHealth said that you will get a lot of money,
07:18but you won't be able to fund the members' health benefits.
07:23You will save money in the bank. That is of no use in the bank because you pay as you go insurance.
07:30We should pay the health benefits of the members and increase it if you have money.
07:36Correct.
07:37P15 billion should be paid to increase the health benefits.
07:41So it's more about policing them also. That's the other side of this.
07:45That's why PhilHealth got DOF money.
07:49They said they borrowed money to give the subsidy you asked for.
07:54When it was too much, you deposited it again in the Treasury Bank.
07:58We borrowed again.
08:00We are the ones who are paying the debt.
08:03The Treasury Bank and the government are paying for the cover.
08:09The finance is correct. The members of the board saw that it's correct.
08:15The clamor of our health sector, I agree with that.
08:18The benefits should be increased and it should be efficient.
08:22You should pay immediately because the DOF won't get it.
08:25Don't deposit it in the bank. You should pay the hospital's debts, the health workers' debts, the doctors' debts, the government hospitals' debts.
08:34You mentioned that if there's a fund, the coverage should be expanded.
08:40We interviewed Dr. Ish.
08:42I asked him why. This is emergency care.
08:45If we talk about the indigents, seniors, PWD or the HORPES,
08:52their level one entry in the hospital is usually emergency or acute cases.
08:58Shouldn't the emergency case be covered before?
09:01You know I'm a low-level emergency doctor.
09:04That's what's inside me. I've been an emergency doctor for four decades.
09:08I haven't seen coverage for ambulance and for emergency care.
09:13It's always hospitalization.
09:15So I feel that if we really want universal health care, one of the first funds should be an emergency package.
09:23We should have a package for an emergency member of PLL and an ambulance.
09:29Their package is funny.
09:32When you arrive at a hospital, you get pregnant and they say,
09:36you need a cesarean, let's move to another hospital.
09:39You know in the second hospital, you can't use PLL anymore because you already used it in the first hospital.
09:46Your ambulance hasn't answered yet. So I feel that our benefits are wrong.
09:51So I'm now chairing the benefits committee of PLL.
09:55This is one of my goals.
09:57I just want to make sure that when a Filipino is in an emergency,
10:00I just hope that PLL will answer. At least 50% or 60%.
10:05But the current support value of PLL is at 30%.
10:09It's going down.
10:11It's going down. 70% out of pocket.
10:14It's from your pocket or now they're asking other groups.
10:20Isn't the emergency care under the law that if we have a universal healthcare law, it should be covered?
10:27Correct. That's what I'm asking.
10:31PLL is a 30-year-old company and up to this day, you need to be confined to pay for the emergency room.
10:42If you were just hospitalized in the emergency room and sent home, there's no PhilHealth reimbursement to the hospital.
10:48They have a sustainability issue.
10:50So we asked, what are your actuarial projections?
10:54How many classes will you need?
10:56PhilHealth has 39 packages but this money will be given to you if you're confined.
11:04But when we talked to Dr. Ish, he said that the out-of-pocket expense is still up to 60-70%.
11:13What's not included in that, for example, the doctors, professional.
11:19Those lab tests that you went to the hospital, you need to get lab tests from others.
11:26Sometimes, medicines that are not included in the formulary.
11:31These are the medicines that are needed, especially for...
11:36They already used the formulary drug. Why are you resetting that?
11:40They already used the formulary drug. Why are you resetting that?
11:42So you're resetting the new drug.
11:45It's harmful because they are experts, they are presidents of specialty societies.
11:52They are being cautioned by the PhilHealth lawyers, why are you using that drug?
11:57Wait a minute, they are the doctors.
11:59They are the ones who know what medicine is.
12:01The question is, did the patient recover?
12:03Yes, he recovered.
12:04Maybe the doctor was right in resetting it.
12:08PhilHealth will not reverse it.
12:10The reforms that PhilHealth needs are major.
12:13But it's a pity because a single-payer system like PhilHealth is supposed to be very good.
12:20In fact, what Ish is saying is not true, that their money might run out.
12:26Even if you increase the benefits and your funding runs out, it is a pay-as-you-go insurance.
12:32What is a pay-as-you-go insurance?
12:34The insurance of your car will run out.
12:36If you don't have an accident, your money will be gone.
12:39Correct.
12:40You will have to pay another P30,000 to P50,000 the following year
12:44so that your car is still covered in case of an accident.
12:47That's what PhilHealth is.
12:49PhilHealth will never lose money.
12:51So don't believe the PhilHealth lawyers who are saying that the money might run out.
12:55I don't believe that because if the money runs out,
12:59the government will fund PhilHealth.
13:03Correct.
13:09Correct.
13:10It just requires good management.
13:12I've been changing this for a long time and you have heard me say,
13:15PhilHealth's money will never run out.
13:18I'm not an actuarial, but when they presented this to me,
13:22I said sir, it will run out by 2028.
13:25I said, what? The money will run out by 2028?
13:28Why don't we spend it all this year, 2024?
13:31So that there will be a lot of benefits.
13:33So the views of the PhilHealth lawyers are different from mine
13:37and the views of other economists.
13:39I feel that PhilHealth needs to be fixed.
13:42A lot of things need to be fixed for PhilHealth to run.
13:46Because this is the key to our universal health coverage.