SENATOR Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go airs his concern over the rising medical cost in the country during the public hearing conducted by the Committee on Health and Demography last January 16.
Go, the committee chairman, said a survey conducted by the WTW Global Medical Trends projected medical cost in the Philippines to rise by as much as 18.3 percent in 2025, the second highest increase in the Asia Pacific region.
“This sharp increase underscores the growing challenges in our healthcare sector and the need to expand healthcare access for Filipinos. Filipinos should not rely on out-of-pocket expenses which puts an additional strain on their livelihood,” Go said.
He urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to come up with more competitive health packages and to make them more accessible to the Filipinos, particularly those in rural areas, to cushion the effect of the rising cost of medical care.
“What PhilHealth should do is to make sure that the fund actually benefit the people. Our challenge for PhilHealth is clear: use the funds properly, speed up the implementation of wider benefits and make sure that every Filipino can feel your service,” Go added in Filipino (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau).