The PhilHealth premium increase is one of the hot issues today in the Philippines. The agency tries to increase the annual premium that is paid by the members of this agency, including those self-employed individuals and individual-paying overseas workers. It is said that from the annual premium P1200, Philhealth will increase it to P2400. This circular aims to add more benefits to its clients and members. The agency’s mission is to provide financial assistance to Filipinos in terms of health services through the National Health Insurance Program (B. Garcia, January 16, 2012). In addition, in line with this circular, this will be helpful in the attainment of one of the Millennium Development Goal health targets (Banzon, 2011). However, if this will be implemented, the increase in the annual premium will be an additional burden to those overseas workers, and we can claim that some workers who do not earn much cannot afford this 100 per cent increase. In addition, the Philhealth did not consult those affected members in regards to their circular. And according to Senator Pimentel, there are various groups that oppose this increase in their contributions since the agency had a lack of consultation and discussion to the PhilHealth members, especially the overseas workers (Tamayo, February 25, 2012).
Furthermore, not all overseas workers can actually get these health benefits since they already have health insurances abroad that are given by the agency they are working for. This implementation is not actually helpful to Overseas Filipino Workers, and once they are no longer work overseas, they no longer have the coverage of the benefits, and those contributions that they gave will not be returned to them (G. Garcia, personal communication, July 10, 2012). In this situation, the contributions that they paid for several years will be wasted. Thus, the 100 per cent increase in the annual premium contribution of the overseas workers shall not be pursued and implemented by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).