President Duterte orders PhilHealth not to require OFWs to pay premiums

Overseas Filipino workers will no longer be required to pay premiums to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Malacañang said Monday.

The directive was issued by President Rodrigo Duterte who said OFWs should pay on a voluntary basis, his spokesperson Harry Roque said in a televised briefing.

“Ipipinapaalam po namin sa inyo na nag-isyu ng direktiba ang Pangulo sa Philhealth na gawing boluntaryo ang pagbabayad ng mga OFWs ng Philhealth premiums,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said.

Roque also said the payment of PhilHealth premium is no longer a requirement before OFWs can secure an overseas employment certificate.

Roque said that in line with Duterte’s directive, Health Secretary Francisco Duque announced the suspension of item 10.2.c of the Implementing Rules and Regulation of the Universal Healthcare law that mandates the higher premium payment for OFWs.

He said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration announced as well that OFWs are no longer required to pay PhilHealth premium first before they can be issued necessary papers such as the overseas employment certificate for them to leave the country.

But Roque said that whether or not the PhilHealth premium will increase, “realidad po na ang isang insurance ay kinakailangan naka-base sa aktwal na science.”

“Ang nililinaw ko lang ay, unang una, ang pagtaas po ay hindi 3 percent. It’s only .5 percent,” Roque said.

“At pangalawa, nakasaad po sa batas na ating sinulong na kapag hindi nakapagbayad ng premiums, hindi po yan dahilan para mawalan ng benepisyo. So, kahit anong mangyari po, sagot po tayo ng estado, dahil alinsunod po ito sa obligasyon ng estado na magbigay ng karapatan ng kalusugan sa lahat ng mamamayang Pilipino.”

OFWs with an income of P10,000 to P60,000 are required to pay 3 percent of their monthly salary starting 2020, up from 2.75 percent the previous year, according to a memo circular that took effect last April 22.

The monthly premium will increase by 0.5 percent every year afterward until it reaches 5 percent in 2024, it added.

PhilHealth said Monday it temporarily suspended all collections as opposition swelled against its premium rate increase for millions of OFWs.