By PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA — All senior citizens in the country, indigent or not, may soon be covered by PhilHealth.
The Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 mandates the enrollment of only indigent senior citizens under the National Health Insurance Program.
Sen. Ralph Recto proposed to amend the law so that all senior citizens, indigent or not, can avail themselves of the country’s improved health care services.
“Health insurance can never be called universal if it does not cover all [senior citizens],” said Recto, author of Senate Bill 712.
He said his measure “is an affordable proposition.”
PhilHealth this year raised the annual contribution for government-sponsored beneficiaries to P2,400 from P1,800.
“With P116 billion in reserves and P62 billion in income as of December 31, 2013, enrolling all seniors will not put PhilHealth to financial ICU,” said the senator from Batangas. “It will take gross mismanagement for it to flatline.”
Sen. Teofisto “TG” Guingona III supports Recto’s bill.
Around 2.2 million Filipino senior citizens are not beneficiaries of the present law, Guingona lamented.
He said the Aquino government will need an additional P5.14 billion to enroll these individuals under PhilHealth.
“The condition of a person in his advanced age is the reflection of the character of his or her children,” said Guingona. “Hindi kaya ang kalagayan ng mga senior citizens ay salamin din ng pagkatao at character natin bilang isang bansa?”/PN
