HPN study finds Philippine healthcare financing system seriously underfunded, inequitable
A recent study by the Center for Legislative Development and the Health Policy Network finds the Philippine health care system seriously underfunded and characterized by acute inequities that leavethe poor without reliable access to the health care system.
Despite recent policy moves that seek to address such inequities, the poor remain vulnerable and questions remain whether they will be actually benefited with increased access or merely reinforce the access of those who already enjoy them.
Over 15 years since Congress passed the National Health Insurance Act of 1995, inequities pervade notwithstanding the over all improvement in health outcomes. The Act established the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) and created the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) as its financing vehicle with a clear constitutional mandate that “the State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavour to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable costs.”
The NHIP has set2015 as goal for providing coverage for all Filipinos as mandated by the law. Just a few more years before its goal,studies suggest that a vast majority of Filipinos still remain inadequately covered by the national health insurance program.
The CLD-HPN study is available at CLD's website: http: cld.org
Despite recent policy moves that seek to address such inequities, the poor remain vulnerable and questions remain whether they will be actually benefited with increased access or merely reinforce the access of those who already enjoy them.
Over 15 years since Congress passed the National Health Insurance Act of 1995, inequities pervade notwithstanding the over all improvement in health outcomes. The Act established the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) and created the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) as its financing vehicle with a clear constitutional mandate that “the State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavour to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable costs.”
The NHIP has set2015 as goal for providing coverage for all Filipinos as mandated by the law. Just a few more years before its goal,studies suggest that a vast majority of Filipinos still remain inadequately covered by the national health insurance program.
The CLD-HPN study is available at CLD's website: http: cld.org
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