Duterte orders PhilHealth to make OFW premiums voluntary

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to stop requiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to pay higher health insurance premiums.

“Nag-issue ng direktiba ang ating presidente sa PhilHealth para gawing boluntaryo ang pagpapabayad ng mga OFWs ng health premiums (Our president directed Philhealth to make health premium payments by OFWs voluntary),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday May, 4.

Duterte’s directive came after some OFWs signed an online petition denouncing the premium rate hike of PhilHealth.

Health Sec. Francisco Duque has also called for the suspension of Section 10.2.C in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, which mandates the premium hike.

 

He says the DOH saw the need to suspend the provision because of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DOH also informed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to cease requiring the payment of PhilHealth premiums for the release of Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC) and other important papers for OFWs. 

Roque, who was one of the principal authors of the UHC Bill during the 17th Congress, clarified OFWs are not covered by the increase in PhilHealth contribution.