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Philippines
19 February 2019
It is a time for celebration in the Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a Universal Health Care (UHC) Bill into law (Republic Act No. 11223) that automatically enrolls all Filipino citizens in the National Health Insurance Program and prescribes complementary reforms in the health system. This gives citizens access to the full continuum of health services they need, while protecting them from enduring financial hardship as a result.
60-Second summary
Fact

The Philippines has just signed a Universal Health Care Bill into law that automatically enrolls all Filipino citizens in the National Health Insurance Program and prescribes complementary reforms in the health system.

Why it matters

In 2016, 54% of health care spending in the Philippines was attributable to people paying out-of-pocket. This needs to change. Like elsewhere, universal health coverage is foremost a political choice. When implemented effectively, the Act will mean all Filipinos get the health care they need, when they need it, without suffering financial hardship as a result.

Expected results

A drastic reduction in outof-pocket payments and catastrophic expenditures through which people become impoverished as a result of paying for health care.

In practice

The UHC Act was carried by a broad coalition of parliamentarians across the political spectrum. WHO advocated and informed the consultation and drafting process of the Bill in the Senate during the second half of 2017, gently steering the process in the areas of people-centred integrated service delivery and health financing.

Quote

By automatically enrolling our citizens into the National Health Insurance Program and expanding PhilHealth coverage to include free medical consultations and laboratory tests, the Universal Health Care Law that I signed today will guarantee equitable access to quality and affordable health care services for all Filipinos.

Name
President Rodrigo Duterte
Position
20 February 2019
Quote

We believe Filipino families must be afforded a safety net in times of dire need and this is why I am proud to cosponsor the Universal Health Care Bill. One of the main provisions in the bill is every Filipino’s automatic inclusion into the National Heath Insurance Program.

Name
Senator Binay
Position
Co-author of the Bill
Quote

We may give every Filipino a PhilHealth card, but it is useless if there is no facility they can present that card to for treatment.

We may erect hospitals with gleaming glass and steel, but if there are no doctors and other health professionals who will staff and run them, then what we have built are white elephants.

We have many modern curative facilities, but when the sick are continuously dumped on them because we have neglected the promotive and the preventative aspects of medicine, then we have failed to address the roots.

We may have a cadre of health professionals scattered nationwide, but if drugs are expensive, then the road to wellness is blocked.

We may have a built a network of hospitals but if they are not constantly infused with funds, then they cannot function fully due to budgetary anaemia.

What is my point? The challenges are interrelated, linked together in one body politic. So the cure must not be compartmentalized, but comprehensive. So, as I have said, this bill is a tapestry of solutions, composed of many threads.

Name
Senator Recto
Quote

Our goal is to achieve full 100 percent coverage in the most expedient way possible, expand our health benefit package, and bring more doctors to remote communities.

Name
Senator Villanueva
Position
Co-author of the Bill