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Supreme Court of the Philippines in Baguio City.
Philstar.com / Ian Laqui
MANILA, Philippines —During the Supreme Court's oral arguments on the legality of transferring excess funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), one justice's comments took on a more "personal" tone.
Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, on Wednesday, April 2, narrated his personal experience with PhilHealth’s benefits when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2023.
Lopez said that his bill reached almost P7 million and the state health insurance agency only covered P50,000 of his total bill.
“I don't know how to compute it, but I'm sure it's less than 2%,” Lopez said during the Supreme Court En Banc's session in Baguio City on Wednesday.
He added that PhilHealth also failed to cover the “regular procedures” he had undergone after his surgery for cancer.
“Every time I do that procedure, I have to spend more or less around P40,000,” the magistrate said.
“Personally, I asked how much can be covered by Philhealth…They cannot answer any of the P40,000...despite the fact that I've been regularly paying Philhealth for the last, how long has it been in existence?” he added.
Lopez also asked whether PhilHealth could be held accountable for the unused funds from 2021, instead of continuously increasing benefits over time.
He further inquired if it would be more appropriate for the government to use its own funds for other purposes, rather than incurring interest by borrowing.
“Are you telling us now, Mr. SVP (Senior Vice President), that the government failed to make use of the money available at that time? It's sitting idly on the side or invested in some other things that you want to make use of it now, that's why you have to invest it or to put it in the government coffers to answer for some unprogrammed activities of the government?” Lopez asked Philhealth Senior Vice President Renato Limsiaco Jr.
In response, Limsiaco said that the money was used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From 2021-2023, we are using the money, but because of the pandemic, the availment of benefits has decreased and the premium is legislated, meaning it is continuous because it is provided by the law. The national government subsidy goes to PhilHealth,” Limsiaco said
What’s with PhilHealth funds in 2021? PhilHealth reported in June last year that it had excess funds totaling P89.9 billion from 2021 to 2023, which the Department of Finance ordered to be transferred.
The P89.9 billion consisted of P27.1 billion from 2021, P24 billion from 2022, and P38.8 billion from 2023.
Legislators criticized PhilHealth's "inaccurate estimates" for additional funding and pushed the state health insurer to either enhance benefits or decrease premium rates.
The Supreme Court halted the transfer of the remaining P29.9 billion in unused PhilHealth funds to the government on Oct. 29, 2024.
Previously, P20 billion was transferred on May 10 last year, P10 billion on August 21, and P30 billion on October 16.
The Supreme Court concluded the oral arguments on Thursday, April 3.
