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MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) still has a P150-billion surplus from its 2024 budget even if it was given zero subsidy in 2025.
The Department of Health (DOH) revealed this information on Monday, assuring PhilHealth members that funds are available to improve existing benefits.
An attached agency of the DOH, PhilHealth is responsible for providing health insurance and implementing universal healthcare coverage nationwide.
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During a Teleradyo 630 interview on Monday, DOH spokesperson Assistant Sec. Albert Domingo said in mixed Filipino and English: “What will happen now if there’s zero subsidy? Not budget, but zero subsidy in 2025. There’s a P150-billion surplus.”
According to him, aside from a P61-billion subsidy in 2024, PhilHealth had a P244-billion budget for benefits, but only 63 percent of which had been utilized as of October 31.
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The extra P150 billion from the 2024 budget of the government-owned-and-controlled corporation is more than enough to cover the improvement of existing benefits, he noted.
“Even we use that… Let’s say, how many poor and senior citizens need to be funded; around 60 million are indirect contributors. If we pay all of them the premium, P80 billion. That can easily be covered by the surplus. PhilHealth’s extra money of P150 billion, there’s still change,” Domingo explained in mixed Filipino and English.
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“We still have [a] change of P70 billion. That P70 billion can be used to improve benefits. All of these even without the subsidy from the government,” he added.
Zero subsidy
Senator Grace Poe said Wednesday that PhilHealth will get zero subsidy in 2025 due to its P600 billion reserve funds.
The chairperson of the Senate committee on finance noted that PhilHealth had not been fully utilizing the allocation it receives annually from Congress.
“The government just didn’t give extra money from its national budget, but there is still money left in PhilHealth and it can manage,” Domingo stressed, disproving claims that PhilHealth members would not receive benefits next year due to the zero state subsidy.
“It’s not true that there will be no benefit next year and it will not help if we do not pay [the contribution],” the DOH spokesperson said.
“PhilHealth does have a source of payment within its own bank,” he added.
Domingo also dismissed as fake news circulating claims that PhilHealth has zero budget in 2025, noting that the state health insurer proposed a budget of P284 billion for next year.