Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

4455

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Hon, Jerry P. Trefias

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It is an innate trait of all Filipinos to care for the elderly, We highly value and cherish our
senior citizens, and our very own Constitution provides that “the family has the duty to care for
its elderly members but the State may also do so through just programs of social security." In
fact, tne Philhealth program was established to give life to the Constitutional edict for the State
to adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development, giving priority to the
needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children.”

The Senior Citizens Act (Republic Act 7432), as amended by the Expanded Senior
Citizens Act of 2010 (Republic Act 9994), aims to “adopt measures whereby our senior citizens
are assisted and appreciated by the community as a whole” and to “establish a program
beneficial to the senior citizens, their families and the rest of the community that they serve.”?
Unfortunately, the provision of Philhealth coverage (introduced through R.A, 9994) was only
limited to indigent senior citizens in the Senior Citizens Act. This bill aims to remedy this
oversight by deleting the qualification of being an indigent in the concerned section of the law
and by sourcing the funds to implement this program from the National Health Insurance Fund
of Philhealth. :

Tt must be noted that the national policies contained in both the Constitution and the
Senior Citizens Act clearly provide that all of the elderly shall be given preferential care and
protection by the State. Being an indigent should not be a requisite for our senior citizens to avail
of mandatory free Philhealth coverage. A good majority of our senior citizens are already retired
and most of them no longer have a steady source of income to support themselves. Furthermore,
senior citizens, due to their mature age, are in need of regular medical treatment. The medical
bills amassed by the senior citizens, coupled with their lack of regular income due to retirement,
have been extremely burdensome for our elderly.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

® article XV, Section 4(4) ofthe 1987 Philippine Constitution.
+ article Xl Section 11 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution,
* Section 1 (3), Republic Act 7432 (April23, 1952)


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. __ A 455

Introduced by Hon, Jerry P. Treilas

AN ACT EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF MANDATORY PHILHEALTH

COVERAGE TO ALL SENIOR CITIZENS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7432, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO, 9994,

RWISE KNOWN AS THE “EXPANDED SENIOR CITIZENS ACT OF 2010”

or

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

Section 1. Section 5, sub-paragraph h(2) of Republic Act 7432, as amended by Republic
Act 9994, is hereby further amended to read as follows

“SEC. 5, Government Assistance, ~The government shall provide the following

XXX

“(h) Additional Government Assistance

“(1) xxx
(2) Mandatory Philhealth Coverage
“All [indigent] senior citizens shall be covered by the national health insurance
program of Philhealth, FUNDS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE
ENROLLMENT OF ALL SENIOR CITIZENS SHALL BE SOURCED FROM
THE NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE FUND OF PHILHEALTH [The
LGUs where the indigent senior citizen resides shall allocate the necessary funds
to ensure the enrollment of their indigent senior citizens], in accordance with
pertinent laws and regulations,

#3) xxx.

Section 2. Repealing Clause. ~ All provisions of laws, orders, decrees, including rules


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and regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed and/or modified accordingly.

Section 3. Lffectivity: - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a national newspaper of general circulation,

Approved,