Press Release
December 25, 2007

ANGARA PUSHES FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM

Children of low-income families have something to look forward to this Christmas and the new year as Senator Edgardo J. Angara, father of the Senior Citizen's Act and PhilHealth Act, is extending health care support to children.

As part of his priority agenda, the Senator filed a bill creating the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that would complement the existing National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) or PhilHealth.

CHIP will provide children aged 6 and below with a full range of health services like regular checkups, immunizations, prescription drugs, dental and eye care, among others. Children of indigent parents will receive free health insurance coverage.

"Poor families usually forego health care and use their meager resources for food," Angara lamented.

As of December 2006, PhilHealth has 16.26 million membership, 4.95 million of which are indigents, and 62 million beneficiaries or 70% of the country's population.

"However, there remain 14 million poor children left out in health care delivery," said the Senator. World Bank reports that infant mortality rates for children are higher in poorest groups in the country and the prevalence of malnutrition is still at 30.6% for pre-school age children and 32.9% for school-age. This highlights the difference in living standards and access to health care.

With CHIP, access to health services will now be extended to children, "one of the most uninsured members of our population."

"We need to make our children not only dependents of health insurance but beneficiaries themselves," he added.

"This program will rescue our young population from a health crisis, and will meet one of the most important needs of the underprivileged sector," he added.

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