THIRTY-TWO drug products are set to be included in the list of medications provided by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) under its “Konsulta” program.
PhilHealth’s Outpatient Drug Benefit package currently covers only 21 medications.
“This will bring PhilHealth’s coverage to a total of 53 outpatient medications, ranging from regiments covering infections up to maintenance medications for non-communicable diseases,” PhilHealth said in a statement.
Rey Baleña, PhilHealth acting vice president for corporate affairs, declined to say what the additional medications are.
“We cannot release without final guidelines. But rest assured these are essential meds, those commonly needed. The message is we are making these essential meds accessible to help make people’s conditions better,” he said in an interview.
Balena said PhilHealth is looking make the additional medicines available as soon as possible.
“The implementation is limited to test sites this year. The expanded rollout would be next year,” said Baleña.
Last year, PhilHealth identified 21 drugs and medicines that will be made available, such as anti-microbial, anti-asthma, antipyretics, anti-dyslipidemia, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive medicines, including fluids and electrolytes, anti-thrombotic, and anti-histamines.
The drugs and medicines covered may be provided as needed by the patients and as recommend by their primary care physician under the “Konsulta” package.
Last November, PhilHealth announced it was set to adjust the rates of most of its benefit packages for its members come 2024. PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma said the plan is to increase benefit packages up to a maximum of 30 percent for all cases.
“This is expected to lower out-of-pocket expenses of patients during hospitalization and in the availment of PhilHealth benefits for outpatient care,” Ledesma has said.
The forthcoming adjustment of the case rates for 2024 follows the expansion of dialysis coverage to 156 sessions, from the previous 90 sessions, beginning last year.
It will also come after PhilHealth approved an increased coverage for ischemic stroke to P76,000 from P28,000; hemorrhagic stroke to P80,000 from P38,000; and pneumonia high-risk to P90,100 from P32,000.
RATE HIKE OPPOSED
Overseas Filipino workers joined opposition to the increase in PhilHealth’s premium, saying it is an additional burden that will not give them benefits.
“For OFWs and their families that have stagnant salaries and are experiencing the surging prices of basic commodities and services, this increase is unjustified,” Migrante Philippines said of the PhilHealth premium increase to 5 percent.
“We don’t get anything from PhilHealth because its coverage is limited in the Philippines, while OFWs are already covered by their respective insurances that they also pay for,” it said.
Migrante’s statement comes amid debates on whether PhilHealth should push through with the scheduled increase in premium rate for 2024.
Earlier, Ledesma said the agency is already implementing the adjustment of premium contribution to 5 percent for 2024 as provided under the Universal Health Care Law.
But Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said he has asked President Marcos Jr to defer the increase given the current economic condition in the country.
Under the UHC Law, there is a gradual increase in premium rate hike from 2.75 percent in 2019; 3 percent in 2020; 3.5 percent in 2021; 4 percent in 2022; 4.5 percent in 2023; and 5 percent in 2024.
