Makati continues PhilHealth coverage for indigent families
Philippine Information Agency: Some 97,000 indigent Makati residents plus their dependents will continue to enjoy access to health care anywhere in the country, a statement posted on the city's website said.
This, after a new agreement was forged between the city government headed by Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) led by its president and CEO Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon.
Under the Partial Subsidy Scheme provided in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), enrolled members can enjoy extended coverage of enrollment at no cost to the local government. At the same time, the city government will be exempted from paying the increased premium rate that will take effect this July, and shall enrol members using the old rate until December 2013.
“We are glad that PhilHealth recognizes our continuing efforts to sustain universal health insurance coverage for our underprivileged constituents.
India considers new health insurance scheme for government employees
Press Information Bureau, Government of India: There is a proposal for introduction of a health insurance scheme for the central government employees and pensioners on pan-India basis, with special focus on pensioners living in non-CGHS areas. The proposal is to make this scheme voluntary cum contributory for serving employees & pensioners. However, it is proposed to be made compulsory for the new entrants in Government service.
The salient features of the proposed Health Insurance Scheme are as under;
Optional for serving Central Government employees and pensioners including future pensioners,
- Compulsory for new recruits,
- Covers all the members of family as per CGHS norms,
- Sum insured – Rs. 5 lakh per year on a family floater basis,
- Corporate buffer of Rs 25 Crore to take care of cases exceeding Rs.
Talk of the Day -- New tax to save health insurance program?
Focus Taiwan News Channel: Former Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang has warned that Taiwan's national health insurance program would collapse if bold steps are not taken to improve its finances.
The outspoken former minister further warned Wednesday that if the health insurance system fails, President Ma Ying-jeou would leave a bad record.
In an interview published in a local newspaper Thursday, Stan Shih, founder of one of the world's leading PC vendors Acer Inc., suggested introducing a health and welfare tax on high income earners that would help support the ailing national health insurance system.
Shih said he shares Yaung's concern about the survival of the country's universal health insurance system and looks forward to seeing the wealthy pay more to help the health insurance system break even.
"My proposal would allow the rich to experience the joy of sacrifice and offer the disadvantaged better health care and medical services," Shih said.
[Editorial] ‘Kalusugan natin, segurado’ means that no Filipino will ever be financially afraid of getting sick
Editorial by Eduardo Banzon, President and CEO of PhilHealth
Business Mirror: KALUSUGAN natin, segurado means that no Filipino will ever be financially afraid of getting sick, and that no one is left behind in the race toward universal health care and financial-risk protection.
Health care has made large advances in the Philippines over the years. Medical care in selected hospitals is now comparable with the top medical centers in the world. Yearly, around 1,500 new physicians are licensed—expanding the number of available physicians for Filipinos.
[Editorial] Health insurance reform
Editorial author unknown
The Korea Herald: Korea faces an urgent need to reform the state-run health insurance system as its sustainability is threatened by a rapid increase in health care spending. During the past 10 years, per-capita heath spending has grown at nearly 8 percent a year, about double the nation’s economic growth rate.
One factor driving up health care costs is the fee-for-service payment formula, under which the National Health Insurance Corp. reimburses hospitals for each and every service they provide to their patients.
Ostensibly, this reimbursement method sounds rational. But it has a serious drawback ― it encourages physicians to increase the amount of care per case to maximize revenue.
Physicians usually arrange frequent consultations with their patients, regardless of the severity of their illnesses, as the more frequently they see them, the more revenue they can generate.
Paying for health care: moving beyond the user-fee debate
The Lancet: A study in The Lancet reports on inequalities in receiving and paying for health services in three countries: Ghana, South Africa, and Tanzania. 1 This study is a notable extension of the benefit—incidence research tradition, which draws on household interviews concerning how much people use and pay for such services, and on official government records concerning health expenditures and the revenues that pay for them.
Equity in financing and use of health care in Ghana, South Africa, and Tanzania: implications for paths to universal coverage
The Lancet: Background
Universal coverage of health care is now receiving substantial worldwide and national attention, but debate continues on the best mix of financing mechanisms, especially to protect people outside the formal employment sector. Crucial issues are the equity implications of different financing mechanisms, and patterns of service use. We report a whole-system analysis—integrating both public and private sectors—of the equity of health-system financing and service use in Ghana, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Methods
We used primary and secondary data to calculate the progressivity of each health-care financing mechanism, catastrophic spending on health care, and the distribution of health-care benefits. We collected qualitative data to inform interpretation.
Findings
Overall health-care financing was progressive in all three countries, as were direct taxes.
Global push to guarantee health coverage leaves U.S. behind
The Los Angeles Times: China, Mexico and other countries far less affluent are working to provide medical insurance for all citizens. It's viewed as an economic investment.
Even as Americans debate whether to scrap President Obama's healthcare law and its promise of guaranteed health coverage, many far less affluent nations are moving in the opposite direction — to provide medical insurance to all citizens.
China, after years of underfunding healthcare, is on track to complete a three-year, $124-billion initiative projected to cover more than 90% of the nation's residents.
Mexico, which a decade ago covered less than half its population, just completed an eight-year drive for universal coverage that has dramatically expanded Mexicans' access to life-saving treatments for diseases such as leukemia and breast cancer.
In Thailand, where the gross domestic product per person is a fifth of America's, just 1% of the population lacks health insurance.
The Indian Government aims to control health rot, appoints 2 top officials
The Times of India: In a bid to put the derailed health insurance coverage meant for below poverty line families back on track, the state government on Thursday, appointed secretary to chief minister, Alok Kumar as chief executive officer of the centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana. Senior PCS officer Sangita Singh has also been appointed additional CEO for the scheme.
Following a two-day, detailed meeting between officials of the Union ministry of labour and employment and state health department, UP government has also got a formal approval for upgrading the health insurance scheme with effect from July 2012.
Additional secretary of Union ministry of labour and employment, Anil Swarup, said, "The ministry has had some very productive discussions with the state government and we are hopeful that the results will be visible over the next few months.
Indonesia's National Health Scheme Untapped
Jakarta Globe: Jamkesmas, the national health insurance scheme for the poor, is paying out far less in claims than other coverage plans provided by the state, despite having the biggest number of subscribers, the government has revealed.
Ali Ghufron Mukti, the deputy health minister, said on Friday that funds for Askes, the insurance scheme for civil servants, and Jamsostek, the coverage for workers, were being paid out much quicker than those for Jamkesmas.
“It’s linked to the economic condition of the policy holders,” he said, adding that only 5 percent of the Jamkesmas fund had been used so far this year.
Only 13 percent of the 76.4 million people covered by Jamkesmas have used it to cover their health costs, compared to 53 percent of the 18 million people covered by Askes who have submitted medical claims so far this year.
Jamsostek covers some 27.2 million workers — most of whom are also eligible for Jamkesmas.