LEGAZPI CITY -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

or PhilHealth needs a shot in the arm as it

might have its last breath after 10 months since it is fast losing blood with its fund payout larger than
its members' monthly contributions and income.
This was disclosed by PhilHealth board member Eddie Dorotan, who was the guest of honor during
the inauguration of the company's new Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) located at Pacific MallGaisano complex in Legazpi City on Tuesday.
Dorotan said the PhilHealth lost almost P1 billion last year since their payments of benefits to
claimants reached P97 billion while the earnings it had hit only P96 billion.
The earnings came from PhilHealth's share from the sin tax, members' contributions and yields from
its investments.
The PhilHealth official said premium payments to senior citizens and beneficiaries of the Pantawid
Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) touched the P10-billion mark.
In the past two to three years, the company spent a large chunk of its financial pie for the enrollment
of five million indigent Filipinos.
Despite the monetary problems besetting PhilHealth, however, Dorotan said their company was able
to serve the poor through the universal health care program.
He said the company should have a two-year reserve fund of at least P100 billion to continue
servicing the public and be reimbursed by the national government, according to the Department of
Budget and Management.
The former mayor of Irosin, Sorsogon said PhilHealth benefits a lot from the sin tax from which it got
20 percent of the P30 billion collection of the national government from the revenue-generating tax.
Dorotan said as a remedial measure to prevent PhilHealths financial collapse, it is presently
intensifying its collection efforts from its members in the private and government offices.
From the government sector members alone, he said, the company has collectibles of billions of
pesos.
Dorotan said PhilHealth raked in P5 billion in the form of interests from its investments.
Meanwhile, Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda said Albay has 1.6 million PhilHealth members and
beneficiaries, and the provinces enrollment has reached 90 percent thats why, he said, Albayanos
are not afraid to work, especially the farmers and fishermen, because they feel that they have health
security.
Salceda asked for a discount on the Albayanos' PhilHealth contributions like a five-year capitation
that the government gave after typhoon Reming wherein Albay had a 100-percent registration

because the Albayanos paid only P500 per member, which was even lowered to P250 because of
the discount.

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