‘Putting all funds into a universal insurance program under PhilHealth is the only way to rid the healthcare system of politics and political patronage.’
SEN. Panfilo Lacson has filed a bill to rid the government’s medical assistance program of politics.
He wants the Department of Health’s Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) placed under the framework of the Universal Health Care Act.
By consolidating MAIFIP within the framework of the UHC, Lacson hopes to
free the program from “political interventions that shamelessly exploit government programs to curry public favor.”
“The proposed legislation also aims to eliminate the politicization of the program, thus curbing the culture of mendicancy and political patronage,” he said.
Lacson also proposes to permanently disqualify from holding public office any person who uses the program for political ends.
Lacson proposes to amend the Universal Health Care Act by creating what he calls the “Universal Medical Assistance Program” as part of the Universal Health Care Program.
UMAP will be administered and managed by the DOH and the national government shall appropriate the funds for its implementation to all government hospitals.
The intention is both commendable and noble. But it certainly won’t be achieved by Lacson’s proposal. Because his proposal all the more institutionalizes the “assistance” mindset that pervades nearly every government program.
It still is mendicancy. And it still is patronage.
There is another way that Lacson may want to consider.
First, write a law banning all forms of medical assistance from the national government to the local government units. This will make available hundreds of billions in funds—from congressional pork barrel to LGUs to NGAs.
Then, to attain real and full “universal health-insurance coverage,” put all that money into the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. as premium payments for everyone who has no means to pay the premiums. That is the way to enroll each and every citizen, from birth.
Revise the PhilHealth coverage system by throwing away the selective “case-rate” system and adopting in its place true “universal” coverage regardless of disease.
Adopt a graduated co-payment scheme. PhilHealth will pay in full the cost of every hospitalization, regardless of the disease, but the patient pays a maximum amount depending on capacity. This is similar to the “participation fee or deductible” for comprehensive vehicle insurance.
Say, those who don’t have the means pay a participation fee of one thousand pesos regardless of the hospital bill, even if it reaches half a million pesos.
But the wealthier PhilHealth members pay a higher “participation fee.”
This is the system in other countries. In Taiwan, for example, the government pays for the health-insurance premiums of farmers and fisherfolk, among other “sponsored” members.
To manage the potential financial strain, there must also be a program to address health and medical needs before they reach the point that would require hospitalization.
There shall be a “primary care” program where all members must first consult an enrolled primary-care physician for health problems before they get any worse. This shall also be covered by PhilHealth to prevent diseases from reaching the “catastrophic” stage—which becomes more expensive. The coverage will include the cost of both consultation, laboratory and other diagnostic procedures, and medicines.
All PhilHealth members (99.99 percent of the population) will be issued a digital card that will also contain all their health information. All they have to do is present the card to a doctor’s clinic or hospital to get the service.
But for all these to happen, we need a more in-depth study of the financial requirements needed to cover such risks while keeping the system viable and sustainable.
There are models in other countries from which we can learn. It’s not so hard to do.
Putting all funds into a universal insurance program under PhilHealth is the only way to rid the health-care system of politics and political patronage.
