Zubiri seeks to expand coverage of National Health
Insurance Program to include children

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has proposed a bill that will include children in the coverage of the National Health Insurance Program.

Zubiri introduced the measure following a study of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) showing about 2.4 million Filipino children ages 0 to 5 years old are underweight while 26.3 percent are stunted.

The study also identified that 23 out of 1000 children die before turning one year old; 28 out of 1000 children die before reaching the age of 5; and only 7 out of 10 newborn babies are immunized.

Another international study conducted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Report in 2006 said 19 percent of the country's total population is undernourished.

The Majority Leader said "all of these are critical issues that require immediate solutions to improve children's health care in the Philippines."

Proposed Senate Bill 3158 or An Act Instituting Mechanisms for the Establishment of Children's Health Insurance Program aims to benefit 14 million Filipino children with a wide range of health care services like regular check-ups, immunizations, prescription drugs, laboratory tests and hospital or clinic visits.

Under the proposed Children's Health Insurance Program, any child of low-income family below 6 years of age or over but are unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation or discrimination due to physical, mental disability or condition and whose family is under poverty line is covered by the health benefits for children.

Zubiri likewise proposed P30 million as initial appropriations for the Children's Health Insurance Program. However, the contributions for qualified children beneficiaries in the succeeding years will be subsidized partially by the local government unit (LGU) where the member resides.

The measure likewise proposes that corporations provide counterpart financing equal to the LGU's subsidy for children. The LGU's share will gradually increase until such time that its share becomes equal to the national government.