PhilHealth, SSS expands services for the poor

The state-run Social Security System and PhilHealth are expanding their services for the poor, hoping to cover more indigent families as well as the informal sectors, officials said on Friday.

Gregorio Rulloda, vice president of Philippine Health Insurance Corp., said in a briefing that the state firm would cover 9.27 million indigent families this year aside from its regular members.

The number includes 5.2 million indigent families, Rulloda said. The payment of their premiums—estimated at P12 billion—would come from the national budget.

This group of beneficiaries are those that “have been identified through the NHTS,” he added, referring to the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction, which the Department of Social Work and Development uses in identifying beneficiaries of programs like the conditional cash transfer initiative.

According to the Department of Budget and Management, allocation for health insurance premiums of poor beneficiaries increased by P3.5 billion this year from the P8.5 billion reported under the 2011 national budget.

Rullado said the remaining indigent beneficiaries are those classified as “sponsored enrollees.” This means that concerned local government units have recommended them for health insurance coverage.

“PhilHealth’s target is universal healthcare—full coverage of the entire population by 2013,” he said.

He added that for 2012, PhilHealth is aiming to spend P60 billion to cover claims of its members. The amount is almost double the P32.3 billion that PhilHealth paid out in 2011.

Emilio de Quiros Jr., president of the Social Security System, said in the same briefing that the SSS is taking similar steps.

In particular, the pension fund is undertaking a pilot project meant “to provide social protection for the informal sector,” such as a group of tricycle drivers in Las Piñas City.

De Quiros explained that the project would involve an “alkansya” (coin bank) into which drivers and operators could put money each day.

“At the end of the month, the money that accumulated would be paid to the SSS as their contribution,” De Quiros said. “We are also looking at how to do the same for other groups like market vendors.”