The Department of Health (DOH) has expressed its support for House Bill 11357, which seeks to enhance the Philippine healthcare system by promoting efficiency, fairness, and improved emergency preparedness. The bill successfully passed its second reading in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The measure, introduced by House Health Committee chairman Batanes Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. and co-authored by 67 other legislators, aims to strengthen healthcare services nationwide.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa emphasized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s role in pushing for improvements to the Universal Health Care (UHC) law, noting his experience as a former provincial governor. “His broad national perspective rooted in local government implementation is what inspires the DOH as we actively support both the House of Representatives and the Senate in improving our UHC Act,” Herbosa said.
One of the key amendments, proposed by House Appropriations Panel acting chairman Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, lowers PhilHealth premium contributions from 5 percent to 3.5 percent. Future adjustments will be determined based on actuarial studies reviewed annually by an independent body approved by Congress.
Additionally, migrant workers—both land- and sea-based—will no longer be required to pay PhilHealth premiums. Instead, their employers will cover half of the cost, while the national government will shoulder the remaining amount.
The bill also sets a limit on the salaries of PhilHealth officials and employees, capping them at 7.5 percent of the previous year’s total benefit payments rather than 7.5 percent of premium collections.
Furthermore, local government units, including component cities and municipalities, will manage their own special health funds under regulations developed by the DOH in coordination with the Department of Budget and Management and the UHC Coordinating Council.
To accelerate the implementation of the UHC law, the UHC Coordinating Council—co-chaired by the health and interior and local government secretaries—will oversee its execution at both national and local levels.
