Aging poor Pinoys lack access to health coverage - ADB

Aging poor Filipinos are suffering from unequal access to health coverage in the country amid limited resources and the still high out-of-pocket expense which should prompt the government to expand services and cater to the more vulnerable sector.

- LOUISE MAUREEN SIMEON

During the launch of the inaugural policy report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) here, most developing economies were found to be unprepared in ensuring the well-being of their aging population.

This is amid various challenges faced by older people such as low pension coverage, health problems and limited access to essential services.

For the Philippines, the country stands out as among those with relatively low coverage of poor older people despite the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Law.

“Still, we see out-of-pocket expenses payments and people would still pay quite a lot of amount to private clinics or private health institutions,” ADB senior economist and the report’s principal author Aiko Kikkawa said in a briefing here.

“While others, even though they’re enrolled, they’re actually not claiming because there are some processes that they have to go through and that it’s not being as utilized as it aims to be,” she said.