bingo super star PhilHealth chief blamed for impounding of P89.9 billion funds

Updated:2024-10-28 03:52    Views:159

MANILA, Philippines —  There should be a change in leadership in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. for failure to implement the Universal Health Care (UHC) law, which led to the impounding of P89.9 billion in unused PhilHealth funds, Sen. JV Ejercito said yesterday.

During the Kapihan sa Senado forum, Ejercito expressed anger at PhilHealth’s transfer of P89.9 billion of unutilized funds back to the National Treasury to finance unprogrammed projects.

“The PhilHealth head should be replaced for failure to live up to the purpose of the Universal Health Care Law, being the primary agency tasked with its implementation,” Ejercito said.

“Although we’ve seen some improvements – such as reducing out-of-pocket expenses from 70 percent to 42-45 percent – there is still a long way to go. We should be targeting zero-balance billing for indigents, senior citizens, PWDs and other vulnerable groups,” he added.

Ejercito questioned the transfer of the fund, which could have been used to assist indigent patients and settle unpaid dues to hospitals.

The senator warned PhilHealth that he would seek an investigation on the impounding of its excess funds, which several groups have questioned before the Supreme Court (SC).

“Our target is to bring down the out-of-pocket expense of poor families. PhilHealth is not a private company that has to have savings; it has to use the funds for indigents,” Ejercito said.

“They really have to answer to this. They are not living up to expectations,” added the senator, who sponsored the Universal Health Care law in the Senate.

TRO urged

The SC is urged to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the transfer of excess reserve funds of PhilHealth to the national treasury.

Former Bayan Muna party-list representative Neri Colmenares issued the call after the SC conducted preliminary conference on the petitions that challenged the constitutionality of the fund transfer.

Bayan Muna has filed a petition challenging the constitutionality of the allocation of unprogrammed funds in the 2024 national budget.

“We ask the Court to restrain this as there is nothing urgent about the projects in the Unprogrammed Funds. That’s why Congress placed these projects in the Unprogrammed Funds because they consider it of less urgency than the programmed funds,” Colmenares said, adding that a TRO would render the issue moot.

The high tribunal has set on Jan. 14, 2025 the oral arguments on the consolidated petitions.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III and the Philippine Medical Association earlier filed a petition challenging the diversion of P89.9 billion in PhilHealth excess funds to unprogrammed appropriations in the national budget.

Petitioners argue that the transfer is unconstitutional and threatens the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act and other health care initiatives. Named respondents were the Senate, the House of Representativesbingo super star, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, among others. –  Daphne Galvez

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