LACSON GUARANTEES FREE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

Free basic health care assistance will be guaranteed for every Filipino under a Lacson administration. This was Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson’s promise during an online forum on Wednesday. 

“We will fully fund the requirement of the ‘high-cost’ stage of the Universal Healthcare Act to cover all barangays, subsidize Philhealth Premiums for all especially for indirect contributory populations, and ensure optimal benefits for healthcare workers,” Lacson said during his speech before the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

The senator also lamented how after almost 3 years since it was enacted in 2019, the Universal Health Care Law remains at a low-cost stage with a budget of only P173.5 billion. 

Lacson added that there are 3 stages to the UHC, and the country has yet to transition to even the “middle cost” with a budget of P241 billion. 

“We must not let another budget year pass with insufficient funding for UHC implementation,” Lacson said. “We will make this possible by ensuring that the Universal Healthcare Act will not only look good on paper but one that actually serves its purpose - healthcare coverage to all Filipinos.”

In earlier interviews, Lacson has said that the government is not allocating enough budget for universal health care, but not for the lack of money. Citing P448.439 billion in retained income from the Department of Health’s off-budget accounts in 2021, the senator has pointed out that the government has more than enough funds.