PhilHealth confirms 80% of Pinoys have health benefits

MANILA, Philippines - More than 80 percent of Filipinos nationwide are now entitled to PhilHealth benefits, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. said yesterday.          

PhilHealth chief executive officer Alexander Padilla confirmed the statement of President Aquino during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that PhilHealth’s enrollment rate has increased from 62 to 81 percent. The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) had questioned the figures, saying only four of 10 Filipinos have PhilHealth coverage.            

“Admittedly, there were concerns previously on data due to double entries, duplication and use of multipliers in getting the numbers. But as we continue data cleanup, more efficient registration and reporting system, the 81 percent enrollment as reported are actual counts of members and dependents from PhilHealth database,” Padilla said in a statement.

Padilla said their figures are supported by actual database count while the statement of PMA was merely based on estimates.

The Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) also doubted PhilHealth’s figures, saying the country’s biggest state-run hospitals have less than 30 percent of patients with PhilHealth coverage. 

“It seems that Malacañang and Department of Health officials are hallucinating on their PhilHealth numbers,” HEAD secretary-general Geneve Reyes said.

Reyes said a significant number of patients at the Philippine General Hospital use guarantee letters from legislators rather than PhilHealth cards. 

In the 700-bed Philippine Orthopedic Center, PhilHealth coverage among service patients is less than 30 percent, she added.  “PhilHealth’s numbers are patently false and they know it,” she said. 

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Enrique Ona assured the public that the government would continue to pursue measures to improve public access to inexpensive and quality medicine.