00:03Joy is the mother of a child with a disability.
00:06She doesn't have enough money to pay for her child's counseling.
00:11She was forced to seek a financial help from what is called a Malasakit Center.
00:17Malasakit Centers are one-stop shops designed to streamline medical assistance programs from several government agencies.
00:25Joy's application was initially rejected.
00:28The reason? Her husband is a middle-income earner.
00:33Joy's family is not considered indigent.
00:58Ano po yung may sinabi po sila ba na diadize na dapat pay ko lang yung sweldo mo ba nun?
01:03Tatanungin kasi nila lahat kung magkano yung birthday, kung lakay sa bahay, magkano upan yung, magkana yung sahod ng ganito,
01:09ilan na tatrabaho sa inyo.
01:11So lahat na alamin nila.
01:13So dahil nalaman nila na may middle class kung pa yung na ano?
01:15Or yung, before. Sinabi ko naman, before munti kong ma-reject.
01:20Pero nung sinabi ko sa kanya na may PWD kasi ako anak.
01:23Tapos ula kong work.
01:25So siya lang yung provider sa amin.
01:27So, I mean, kaya nga kumag-a-build kasi siya lang yung...
01:31Siya lang yung sole provider.
01:32Siya na yung provider, yes.
01:33Patients must prove they are indigent.
01:37They have to bring documents and will then be screened if they qualify for the program.
01:46Pete's mother, a senior citizen, underwent emergency angioplasty.
01:50He was told that only two applicants can be accommodated daily.
01:55It was a frustrating experience.
01:58Pete had to line up several times before his application was accepted.
02:03But his efforts were not fully rewarded.
02:06His mother's hospital bill reached a little over 200,000 pesos.
02:11About 105,000 was covered through the so-called guarantee letters.
02:17Guarantee letters are documents issued by politicians to hospitals,
02:21ensuring payment for an indigent patient's medical expenses.
02:26That left Pete with a balance of nearly 98,000 pesos, which he still has to pay.
02:33That is a big amount to pay for the average Filipino.
02:38Responding to one of Pete's complaints,
02:41Health Undersecretary Albert Domingo says there is no quota policy.
02:46He advised complainants to take their problems to the hospital management.
02:50To go away with any such problems, he recommended going to hospitals of the Department of Health.
02:56Medical services in those government hospitals are free.
03:02But according to health reform advocate, Dr. Tony Liachon,
03:06there is only one way of resolving those issues raised by Joy and Pete.
03:11His solution?
03:12Transfer funds from government welfare programs to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth.
03:20PhilHealth is a government-owned and controlled corporation that provides health insurance to Filipinos.
03:26It was created on 1995 to implement universal health care coverage in the Philippines.
03:33Liachon said that since these programs are medically and welfare-related,
03:40centralizing their funding under PhilHealth would make assistance more systematic and efficient.
03:46This, he says, would ensure zero balance billing for all Filipinos.
03:53There should only be one single payer for the government, and that is PhilHealth.
04:01Liachon is skeptical that relief will come suit to Filipinos seeking financial assistance.
04:06He pointed to a series of unresolved financial issues that, in his view,
04:13undermine the credibility of new government health care promises.
04:17He cited the controversial transfer of health funds to the National Treasury.
04:22That amount is about 60 billion pesos.
04:26The transfer was declared unconstitutional by the Philippine Supreme Court.
04:31There are other issues.
04:34There's the 74 billion peso PhilHealth funding gap,
04:38the 220 billion peso unpaid debts from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation,
04:43and the Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office.
04:48Our team reached out to the authorities of the East Avenue Medical Center
04:52and the Philippine Heart Center for comments, but they have yet to respond.
04:59Eliminating funding shortfalls and consolidating health assistance programs.
05:04Those are the steps to solving health care issues, according to health experts.
05:10If those issues are not addressed, promises of universal health care for Filipinos will remain just that.
05:18Promises.
05:19Ananimos reporting for the Manila Times.
05:30Ananimos reporting for the Manila Times.
05:30Ananimos reporting for the Manila Times.
05:30Ananimos reporting for the Manila Times.
05:31The Manila Times.
05:32Aananderbeer in Она.
05:34Los Angeles Times.
05:36Auntyæƒ…å ±å‘Š.
05:37Eliminating funding for the Manila Times.
05:38Clayton Box.
05:39elites.haltencrime.
05:44MetroPolit.
05:45Eliminating funding.
05:45Eliminating finance.
05:46Eliminating financial.
05:46Ex Manilaism.
05:46Eliminating financial.Eliminating
05:47You
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