AGRI PARTY-LIST ASKS PHILHEALTH: WHAT’S NEXT? URGES ANOTHER ROUND OF RADICAL INCREASES IN HEALTH PACKAGES TO BENEFIT WORKERS, FILIPINO PEOPLE

On labor day, AGRI Party-list called on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHeath) to continuously implement radical expansion on its health packages to benefit its members, many of whom are workers, to ease their burden and their families.

“Nagtatrabaho tayo para mabuhay at maiangat ang kalidad ng pamumuhay ng ating pamilya. Nagbibigay tayo ng kontribusyon sa PhilHealth sa paniwalang makakatulong ito sa oras na tayo ay magkasakit. Napakalaking kapabayaan at kawalang katarungan para sa ating mga manggagawa at mga miyembro ng PhilHealth kung kulang-kulang at kakapiranggot lang ang benepisyong pangkalusugan na kanilang matatanggap,” Lee said.

“Sa sakahan, pabrika, kompanya, lansangan, paaralan, o saanman ang kabuhayan ng ating mga kababayan, dapat siguruhin ng gobyerno ang pangangalaga sa kanilang kalusugan. Sila ang pundasyon ng ating ekonomiya at bansa. They deserve better and we must demand better health services for them,” the Bicolano lawmaker said.

AGRI Party-list, which is running for reelection in the 2025 National and Local Elections, also urged the Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth to aggressively and strategically conduct an information and education campaign to inform our workforce and every Filipino with the right knowledge about the health benefits they are entitled to.

“Hindi natatapos sa pagdaragdag ng mga serbisyong pangkalusugan ang ating trabaho. Dapat mabigyan ng mabilis at madaling access dito ang ating mga kababayan. Paano mapapakinabangan ng ating mga manggagawa at ng bawat Pilipino ang mga benepisyong pangkalusugan ng ahensya kung hindi nila alam ang mga ito?” AGRI Party-list said.

AGRI Party-list, under Lee’s leadership, was the first to expose that PhilHealth has billions of available funds in September 2023 and persistently urged the state health insurer to use these “unused funds” to expand its benefit packages. Lee’s aggressive efforts led to the implementation of PhilHealth’s increased benefits and free medical services.

The said increases include the 30% increase in health benefits which was implemented on February 2024, another 50% increase which started in 2025, free dialysis, free eye check-up and prescription glasses for ages 0-15, free dental care services, expanded coverage for breast cancer treatment, new benefit package for kidney transplant and heart ailments, outpatient emergency care services, and the removal of PhilHealth’s 45-day hospitalization limit, among others.

AGRI Party-list also reminded PhilHealth of its health commitments to the Filipino people Lee secured during the 2025 DOH Budget Deliberation which ended in a mic scuffle last September 25, 2024, which include boosting its spending by increasing benefit payments from P140 billion to P250 billion for this year to lower the out-of-pocket hospitalization expenses of Filipinos.

“Maging mas agrisibo pa dapat ang PhilHealth sa paggamit ng bilyon-bilyong pondo nito na nagmula sa buwis at sakripisyo ng ating mga manggagawa, para dagdagan pa ang mga benepisyong pangkalusugan na karapatan at karapat-dapat matanggap ng mga Pilipino,” AGRI Party-list said.

“Tuloy-tuloy lang din po ang pangangalampag ng AGRI Party-list para mabawasan ang gastos at pangamba ng ating mga kababayan sa pagkakasakit sa pagsusulong ng libreng gamot at pagpapamot para sa lahat,” it added.