Health Benefits for All Filipinos

SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA TODAY SAID ONE OF HER PRIORITY BILLS, SENATE BILL. NO. 4 IS THE ASSURANCE THAT INDIGENT FILIPINOS, WHO ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO HEALTH RISKS, BE GRANTED BASIC HEALTH CARE SERVICES GIVEN THAT ACCESS TO BASIC HEALTH CARE FROM GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM.
Sen. Legarda’s “Mandatory Universal Healthcare Coverage Act of 2010” will benefit the following:
1. Individuals/families classified as targeted poor based on the poverty incidence by the National Statistics and Coordination Board (NSCB);
2. Individuals/families belonging to the lowest income segment of the informal sector;
3. Barangay officials and barangay volunteers including, but not limited to, barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, barangay social workers, and barangay tanods;
4. Children who may not possibly be declared as legal dependents, such as poor children under 6 years old, abandoned children, and orphans below 21 years of age;
5. Poor members of senior citizens associations who are not eligible under the Lifetime Membership Program of the National Health Insurance Program; and
6. Other members of the low-income group of the population as may be determined by the DSWD in coordination with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
“At present, access to health care continues to be a problem of, if not completely missing, for indigent Filipinos all over the country. The country’s total health expenditure remains minimal, in fact, way below the standards set by the World Health Organization, and accounts for the slow response by the State,” Sen. Legarda explained.
“The spirit of this bill is to give more to those who have less,” Sen. Legarda emphasized.