A Supreme Court Justice named Antonio Kho is very worried about how the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth, is using its money. He thinks it might be time to replace the people in charge and make big changes so that PhilHealth follows the law properly.
This came up during a big meeting in court where people were discussing whether or not PhilHealth’s extra money should have been sent to the government’s main money fund (National Treasury).
Why is PhilHealth’s Money a Big Deal?
A health official, Albert Domingo, explained how PhilHealth decides how much money it needs. Instead of following a strict formula based on taxes collected from things like cigarettes (sin taxes), PhilHealth just counts its members and asks for money based on that number.
The law actually says PhilHealth’s budget should come from different sources like:
- Sin taxes (extra charges on cigarettes and alcohol)
- Money from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR)
- Charity funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)
- Membership payments from people
- Government money set aside for health programs
But it turns out that PhilHealth isn’t following this system correctly.
PhilHealth Might Not Be Asking for Enough Money
Justice Kho was surprised that PhilHealth is limiting its own budget. He believes that if PhilHealth had a much bigger budget, more Filipinos would be able to get healthcare services.
He said that the government collects taxes to help pay for health services, so it doesn’t make sense for PhilHealth to create its own formula that doesn’t match the actual needs of the people.
Kho even questioned why PhilHealth is not asking for more money to help more people. He believes that if there is extra money available, PhilHealth should:
- Increase the health benefits it provides to Filipinos.
- Hire more workers so hospitals and clinics can give better service.
Where Did the Missing Money Go?
One of the biggest concerns is that PhilHealth gave P60 billion (a huge amount of money) to the National Treasury. The Supreme Court even had to step in and stop the government from taking another P29.9 billion.
Because of this, Justice Kho is demanding that the government return the P60 billion to PhilHealth so it can be used for healthcare. He even suggested that PhilHealth should ask President Marcos to give the money back.
What’s Next?
The Supreme Court will continue discussing this important issue on April 29. Many people are watching closely to see if PhilHealth’s money will be returned and if there will be big changes in how the agency is run.
