Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RECEIVEr
SEBO, are: 28 NOV’ 2019 *
TIME: 7230 Iq
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS yp

First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 846 t

Introduced by BAYAN MUNA.
Reps. NERI J. COLMENARES and CARLOS ISAGANI T, ZARATE

AN ACT AMENDING SECTION 4(e) AND 10 OF REPUBLIC ACT 7432,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE SENIOR CITIZENS ACT OF 1992,
AS AMENDED, GRANTING FREE HOSPITALIZATION TO INDIGENT
SENIOR CITIZENS IN ANY GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL,

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘The Senior Citizens Act of 1992, as amended by the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of
2003 and 2010, has rightfully granted to our senior citizens the privileges that they
deserve after having worked hard and helped in building our nation during the prime of
their lives.

However, there is a felt need to afford our senior citizens additional and better benefits
than what are presently provided under our present laws, particularly during the times
when theit health starts to fail, yet they could no longer provide for themselves.

‘The proportion of the older population is rising worldwide. ‘The same is happening in the
Philippines where from 3.7 million or 5.4% of the population in 1995, the senior citizen
population has increased to 7 million or 6.9% of the total population at present, and 1.3
million of which ate indigents.

Ina repott published the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and HelpAge
International entitled “Ageing in the 21" Century: A Celebration and a Challenge”
projections for the population of senior citizens will increase and would account for as
high as 15.3% in 2050. It has also been noted in the same teport that access to healthcare
and affordable medicines is a problem for the majotity of the senior citizens in the
county even with the existing legislation of the government.

‘According to the Department of Health, increase in the demand for health services
comes with the rise of the aging population. The agency cited a study which claimed that
senior citizens are heavy consumers of personal or private health care, meaning a lot of
them are forced to pay for their own health expenses. It cannot be denied that the senior
citizens often avail medical services due to their health conditions brought about by their
age and more often than not, the procedures that they avail comes with a high cost even
in public hospitals.



Healthcare in the country may it be public or private always comes with a price. On
average, a consultation with a doctor starts from 300 pesos. Some private hospitals
require a deposit fee for confinement and this has been often the cause of patients being
unable to be discharged from the hospital due to the inability to pay fees. Public hospitals
on the other hand while they offer free confinement and treatment, some of them
require the patients on the other hand to pay for medical supplies such as alcohol,
bandages, among others. Though the cost of healthcare is discounted for senior citizens
under the existing law, more than 50 percent of patients confined in hospitals use their
income (48% in private hospitals, 51% for those confined in public hospitals) and/or
savings (37% for those confined in private hospitals and 32% for those confined in
public hospitals) to shoulder the costs of hospitalization according to the raw data from
National Demographic and Health Survey by the NSO in 2008, In the case of indigent
senior citizens, they cannot possibly shoulder even their privilege of having a discounted
cost of hospitalization.

Based on government data analyzed by GlobalAge Watch of HelpAge International, an
international advocacy organization for senior citizens, only 21% of the senior citizens
receive pension. On the other hand, majority of the senior citizens still work for their
subsistence or to augment those provided by their pension. This has manifested as the
population of working senior citizens had rapidly increased from a relatively stagnant
5.6% in the 1990s to 6.8% in 2008, This, all the more, makes free hospitalization for
indigent senior citizens necessary to support the Senior Citizens Act’s objective to ensure
that the country’s senior population “attain a more meaningfal and productive ageing”
and fully participate in society.

In line with the core principles and objectives of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, the
passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

Approve,

: ,

Rep/NERI\J. COLMENARE;
Bayan Muna Parby.List

Bayar Muna Party-List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No.3461

Introduced by BAYAN MUNA
Reps. NERI J. COLMENARES and CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE

AN ACT AMENDING SECTION 4(e) AND 10 OF REPUBLIC ACT 7432,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE SENIOR CITIZENS ACT OF 1992, AS
AMENDED, GRANTING FREE HOSPITALIZATION TO INDIGENT

SENIOR CITIZENS IN ANY GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. ~ Section 4(¢) and 10 of Republic Act No. 7432, as amended by

Republic Act No. 9994, otherwise known as the "Expanded Senior Citizens Act of
2010", are hereby further amended to read as follows:

“See. 4. Privileges for the Senior Citigens. ~ The senior
citizens shall be entitled the following:

Soe

(¢) free medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory
fees such as, but not limited t0, x-rays, computerized
tomography scans and blood tests, in all government
[facilis] HOSPITALS AND SIMILAR
‘HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, and FREE
HOSPITALIZATION AND
CONFINEMENT FOR _ INDIGENT
PATIENTS, subject to the guidelines to be issued by the
DOH in coordination with the PhilElealth”:

Sea. 10. Appropriations, - The Necessary appropriations
for the operation and maintenance of the OSCA shall be
‘appropriated and approved by the LGUs concerned. For
national government agencies, the requirements to implement
the provisions of this Act shall be included in their respective
budgets: Provided, That the funds to be used for the national
health program, [and for the) vaccination of senior citizens,
AND FOR THE FREE HOSPITALIZATION


AND CONFINEMENT FOR INDIGENT
PATIENTS in the first year of the DOH and
thereafter, as a line item under the under the DOH budget
in the subsequent General Appropriations Ad (GAA):
Provided, further, That the monthly social pension for
indigent senior citizens in the fist year of implementation
shall be added to the regular appropriations of the DSWD
budget in the subsequent GAA,

SEC, 2. - ‘This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in a
newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,