OFWs umapela, taas sa PhilHealth premium huwag ituloy

UMAPELA ang isang organisasyon ng overseas Filipino workers na ipagpaliban kung hindi maaalis ang pagtaas ng premium ng Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

“We are now entering into an economic downturn brought out by the global pandemic that threatens our very survival.  Our OFWs and their families and dependents are not exempted from the adverse repercussions of this pandemic.  More than ever, they need our help not only for their health survival but also for their job and economic security,” ani ACTS-OFW chairman John Bertiz.

Mula sa 2.75 percent ng kanilang suweldo, sisingilin na ang mga OFW ng 3 porsyentong PhilHealth premium.

“It is also scandalous to do so when we have yet to account for the alleged anomalous non-remittance by former PhilHealth officials of around PhP16.584 million in premium contributions of OFWs.”

Nakagugulat din umano na pati ang mga OFW na nawalan ng trabaho o hindi sumasahod dahil sa lockdown ay pinagbabayad.

Iginiit naman ni Bertiz na pabor ang kanilang hanay sa Universal Health Care.

“Make no mistake about it.  We are for universal health care for all. We need to invest in public health, and we’ve seen how urgently important to keep our medical care system works, especially in providing treatment and assistance during public health emergency.”

Ayon kay Bertiz ang magandang serbisyo gaya ng Universal Health Care ay hindi dapat maging pasanin ng mga OFW.

“But our right to universal health care should not be passed on and become a burden to our OFWs who continue to struggle to make both ends meet, and much less, to pay for these skyrocketing health care premiums. What they need now is to remain employed and paid so that they can weather this crisis, and not additional charges and penalty.”

Maraming OFW ang nagrereklamo dahil nahihirapan na mag-reimburse sa PhilHealth kapag sila ay na-ospital at kapag na-reimburse naman ay masyado itong maliit ang inaaprubahan.