Putting healthcare on the ballot

The Supreme Court concluded last week the oral arguments on three consolidated petitions challenging the legality of the transfer of ?89.9 billion in excess funds from the PhilHealth to the national treasury.

The petitions, filed by Bayan Muna party-list and 1Sambayan coalition, among others, argue that the fund transfer, intended to finance “unprogrammed appropriations” in the 2024 national budget, violates existing laws on how PhilHealth funds should be used.

The petitioners argue that the core mandate of PhilHealth is to provide health insurance coverage and ensure affordable and accessible health care services for all Filipinos --not to serve as some sort of an investment fund that can be reprogrammed into the national treasury.

The oral arguments on the PhilHealth issue sparked serious discussions about the state of our healthcare system. During the proceedings, Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez recounted his personal experience battling cancer in 2023, revealing that his hospital bill reached nearly ?7 million, of which PhilHealth covered only ?50,000.

It made me recall what a lawyer-friend of mine who is well-placed in government said: in this country, you need at least ?5 million to be secure, health-wise. He is right, and it speaks volumes about the severe inadequacy and crisis in our healthcare system.

If a person of his position in society (let’s say, upper middle class or stable and well-off) needs that much to feel secure that a health crisis won’t devastate the family’s fortune and financial stability, how much more for our ordinary citizens? Perhaps only lots of prayers for good health are all that can give our people a sense of security.

With the election season upon us, let’s make affordable and accessible healthcare a primary issue. We should demand that candidates address it, and choose those with a track record of prioritizing such care.

I had the opportunity to work with both Cebu City Councilor Mary Ann De Los Santos (as a consultant) and former councilor Alvin Dizon on several ordinances and resolutions aimed at improving healthcare services in the city. De Los Santos, in particular, is known for her mental health advocacy, having authored Cebu City Ordinance No. 2681, which established a Behavioral Health Unit at the Cebu City Medical Center, passed in 2023. She also pushed for elderly-friendly health facilities and a breast-screening program for indigent women.

Now running for Congress under the BOPK banner --a party that, as you may have observed, I have consistently favored for its role in the visionary development of Cebu City-- she represents the hope for the change long needed by the residents of Cebu City’s North District. In recent years, the North District has been served by a political dynasty that had once shown promise but has since remained conventional and complacent, falling short of the bold and responsive solutions required by a rapidly-growing metropolis.

But the work of reform cannot be left to local leaders alone. The push for affordable and accessible healthcare must also be championed at the national level. In the race for the Senate seats, voters should demand from the candidates a clear platform for making healthcare truly affordable and accessible.

We have a law on universal health care but it has remained largely on paper and in rhetoric. Our leaders must show political will to invest in the health of our people. We demand hard work and productivity from citizens but fail to provide support or care when those same citizens get sick. It’s a system that exploits labor output over human dignity and well-being.

In this country, as one popular ad goes, “Bawal magkasakit!”