Sen. Marcos: Are All Seniors Receiving Benefits From PhilHealth As Mandated By The Expanded Senior Citizens Act?

Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. called on government to conduct an inventory of elderly citizens to find out whether all of them are receiving benefits from PhilHealth as mandated by law.

Marcos, member of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, is co-author of Republic Act 10645, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act signed into law on November 5, 2014, which provided for the mandatory Philhealth coverage of all senior citizens.

"We would like to find out whether all senior citizens are truly receiving their entitlement from Philhealth. If not, there is a need to initiate the necessary action to ensure that this is corrected and the benefits reach all its intended recipients," Marcos said.

Marcos cited, "Philhealth record shows that as of 2014, its members and beneficiaries under RA 10645 reached 5,881,871."

"RA 10645 amended RA 9994 and expanded and made automatic PhilHealth benefits to all senior citizens especially and including indigent or poor senior citizens who were incapable of paying the monthly contribution to PhilHealth to become members."

"The original law benefitting senior citizens is RA 7432 allowed Filipinos who are 60 years and above, among others, 20 percent discount from all establishments relative to the utilization of transportation services, hotels, theaters, cinema houses, concert halls, circuses, carnivals and other similar places of culture, leisure, amusement and other purchases," Marcos concluded.