PhilHealth set to increase members’ premium contributions
By: Joey A. Gabieta -
Correspondent Nov 17, 2017
Starting January of next year, the Philippine Health
Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will increase the premium contributions for its
members.
From the current 2.5 percent, PhilHealth members will have
to pay 2.75 percent or an increase of 0.5 percent computed from the member’s
monthly basic pay, said Israel Francis Pargas, PhilHealth’s OIC vice president
for corporate affairs group.
At present, there are 93 million PhilHealth members across
the country—15.2 million of them were enrolled by their respective local
government units because they were part of the marginalized sector.
Pargas said the local government unit will pay the
adjustment premium of these indigent members.
He, however, said the adjustment didn’t reach the 5 percent
allowed under Republic Act 7875, creating PhilHealth.
“For the longest time, we have not made any premium
adjustment while at the same time, we have expanded our benefits. So we have to
make this premium adjustment so we can sustain these benefit plans,” he said.
“(And) the premium adjustment has yet to reach the five
percent as allowed by law. Our premium adjustment is the lowest among all
security agencies and even compare to other countries. Mas mahal pa ang (mobile
phone) loads,” Pargas added.
A member’s monthly contribution is pegged at P275 if he
receives a monthly pay of P10,000. Of the amount, half of this or P137.50 will
be taken from the employee’s pay while the other half is shouldered by the
employer.
In the case of house helpers or kasambahay, their employers
will shoulder the payment of the premium unless they are paid P5,000 a month
wherein they will pay their proportionate share.