FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPWES ) 
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r -  -- 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to require automatic enrollment of all citizens in the National Health 
Insurance Program. 
Health is wealth. It is both a means and an end of development. Healthy citizens are 
essential to bring about faster economic development and better quality of life. Thus, the 
government provides several health care programs to the people. Among these is the 
National Health Insurance Program designed to help the people pay for their health care 
services. 
A review of the Program would reveal, however, the need to strengthen the delivery of 
health care services to the people. Under the National Health Insurance Program, 
automatic membership is extended to beneficiaries of MEDICARE, SSS, and GSIS 
members, retirees, pensioners, and their dependents, but requires indigents and the 
unemployed to first enroll in the Program by complying with several requirements. 
Many are still deprived of the benefits of the Program, particularly the marginalized 
sector. A survey by the Department of Health showed that individuals belonging to poor 
families have a high degree of mortality since they cannot avail themselves of the 
necessary health care services. 
The primary concern of the Program should be to uplift the plight of the poor by making 
free health care services readily accessible to everybody. This proposed measure gives 
highest priority in extending the maximum coverage to the population with the basic 
minimum package of health insurance benefits. Automatic enrollment of all citizens of 
the Philippines in the Program will significantly address the country’s health needs and 
problems. 
The immediate passage of this bill is earnestly recommended. 
ANfOhO “SONNY” F. TRDLLANES IV 
Senator 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILlppINES ) 
8 %{fi\j 14 1-’7‘3? 
First Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Antonio ‘‘Sonny’’ F. Trillanes IV 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING THAT ALL CITIZENS OF THE PHILIPPINES SHALL 
AUTOMATICALLY BE 
ENROLLED IN 
THE 
NATIONAL HEALTH 
JNSURANCE PROGRAM AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE THE NATIONAL 
HEALTH INSURANCE ACT OF 1995 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 6 of Republic Act no. 7875 is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
“Sec. 6. Coveruge. - All 
citizens of the Philippines shall 
AUTOMATICALLY BE ENROLLED AND be covered by the 
National 
Health 
Insurance Program. [In accordance with the principles of universality and compulsory 
coverage enunciated in Section 2(b) and 2(1) hereof, implementation of the Program 
shall, furthermore, be gradual and phased in over a period of not more than fifteen (1 5 )  
years: Provided, That the Program 
shall not be made compulsory in certain provinces 
andcities 
until the Corporation shall be able to ensure that the members in such 
localities shall have reasonable access to adequate and 
acceptable 
health 
care 
services. ”1 
SEC. 2. Section 7 ofthe same Act is hereby further amended to read as follows: 
“Sec. 7. Enrollment. -The Program shall 
AUTOMATICALLY enroll 
PHILIPPINES AS beneficiaries in order for them to be 
ALL CITIZENS OF THE 
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placed under coverage that entitles them to avail of benefits with the 
assistance of 
the financial arrangements provided by the Program. The process of enrollment shall 
include the 
identification of beneficiaries, issuance of appropriate 
documentation 
specifying eligibility to benefits, and indicating 
how membership was obtained or i s  
being maintained. The 
enrollment shall proceed in accordance with these specific 
policies: 
X 
X 
X 
SEC. 3. Section 46 of the same Act is hereby further amended to read as follows: 
X 
X 
X 
“ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED 
TO BE 
APPROPRIATED, TO AUGMENT THE HEALTH 
INSURANCE 
FUNDS 
FROM THE RESPECTIVE ANNUAL 
EARNINGS 
OF 
THE 
PHILIPPINE 
AMUSEMENT AND 
GAMING CORPORATION (PAGCOR) AND THE 
PHILIPPWE CHARITY SWEEPSTAKES OFFICE (PCSO), EQUIVALENT 
FIVE PERCENT (5%) THEREOF. 
TO 
SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least 
two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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