PhilHealth to reduce premiums, expand coverage

Although deprived of subsidy under the 2025 approved budget program, the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has assured lawmakers that it would still be able to reduce premium contribution and expand its coverage next year for overall better health care benefits for members.

- By DELON PORCALLA

PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. relayed the assurance to House Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon of party-list Ako Bicol at last week's hearing by the House committee on good government and public accountability on the national health insurance system.

Ledesma said it is the intention of PhilHealth leadership to recommend a decrease in contributions, pursuant to a pending Senate measure aiming to reduce the rate from five percent to 3.25 percent.

"We are fully supporting that reduction. And that is a very huge reduction. I actually made a commitment to sit down with my team in PhilHealth to recommend for a decrease in the premium contributions," he told the House panel.

Ledesma explained nevertheless that premium rates are set by law and that PhilHealth does not unilaterally decide on adjustments.