PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday directed the Health department to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of services by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) after it was given zero subsidy.
Mr. Marcos and his economic team met with the Department of Health among other government agencies to review their budgets under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“Make sure that services of PhilHealth remain unhampered,” Mr. Marcos told Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa at a meeting at the presidential palace, based on a press release from his office.
The health insurer has no government subsidies under 2025 General Appropriations Act, prompting backlash from civic groups.
The President said the “zero budget” for PhilHealth should not affect the delivery of healthcare services.”
PhilHealth members’ out-of-pocket expenditures were already at 44%-50%, the third highest in Southeast Asia, former Department of Health advisor Anthony C. Leachon told BusinessWorld in late December.
He said if the P74-billion government subsidy for PhilHealth was not taken down, the expenses could be reduced to 30% in the next three years.
Mr. Marcos, meanwhile, urged Mr. Herbosa to shift the DoH’s focus to prevention from cure, stressing that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound in cure.”
“The President also underscored the importance of digitalizing the DoH to enhance service delivery and efficiency,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said.
It said the President “reiterated the administration’s commitment to prioritizing social services in the 2025 national budget, focusing on key sectors such as education, health, economic services, infrastructure and agriculture.”
The P6.326-trillion national budget is 0.4% lower than the P6.352-trillion spending plan that the Department of Budget and Management submitted to Congress in August. This is equivalent to 22% of the projected gross domestic product in 2025.
The PCO had yet to release details of Mr. Marcos’ meetings with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Information and Communications Technology. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
