Filipinos should expect to pay higher member contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) beginning next year.

In a statement sent to media on Tuesday, December 29, PhilHealth said it is “implementing the scheduled contribution rate and adjustment in income ceiling for 2021 to ensure sufficient funding for the heath care benefits of its 110 million members as mandated by Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law.”

Under the Section 10 of the UHC Law, premium rates shall be in accordance with the following schemes:

Below is the adjusted contribution scheme for 2021:

According to PhilHealth, those earning below P10,000 per month is fixed at P350 while those earning P70,000 or higher per month is fixed at P2,450. (READ: [ANALYSIS] The inhumanity of PhilHealth’s new fees on overseas Filipinos)

“Contributions of employed members (including kasambahays) shall be equally shared between employees and employers, while those self-paying members, professional practitioners and land-based migrant workers and other direct contributors with employee-employer relationship are computed straight based on their salary earnings and paid wholly by the member,” PhilHealth said.

PhilHealth said that while it recognizes the pandemic situation that is taking its toll on Filipinos, it is bound to implement the UHC Law that aims for “better healthcare services” as the country grapples with COVID-19.

In August, lawmakers investigated PhilHealth for alleged corruption as whistleblowers said some P15 billion ($309.6 million) in funds were pocketed by its executives.

The PhilHealth anomalies fueled anger against the government at a time when the Philippines had the highest number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia.

On August 26, Ricardo Morales resigned from his position as PhilHealth chief after President Rodrigo Duterte asked him to vacate his post due to his health condition.

Several top PhilHealth officials, including Morales, are now facing administrative charges.

Aside from PhilHealth’s contribution hike, members of the Social Security System (SSS) will be shelling out more for contributions next year, as the agency moves to ensure the “long-term viability” of the pension fund. – Rappler.com