[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – SUMMARY – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your summary. The summary condenses the main points for the news that starts below. The summary is in bold and not longer than 300 characters, including spaces. The counter at the bottom can help.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
In 2024, the Philippine government swept P60B in idle PhilHealth funds to the Treasury, triggering controversy and a Supreme Court halt on further transfers. The President pledged to restore the funds in 2026, but experts warn cash alone won\u2019t fix service delivery or UHC<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 1 – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your news. PLEASE USE ONLY THE FEATURED IMAGE FUNCTION on your right column to add the image.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||1em||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In 2024, the Philippine government swept idle balances from government-owned and controlled corporations, notably extracting P60 billion from PhilHealth<\/a>, with tranches in May, August, and October, before the Supreme Court halted a planned fourth transfer. Officials justified the sweep as necessary for urgent expenditures: overdue health worker allowances, medical assistance to indigents, public hospital expansion, equipment upgrades, and health infrastructure projects. The government has since announced that the P60 billion will be restored as \u201csavings\u201d in the 2026 budget, but this is contingent on favorable fiscal conditions and ongoing Supreme Court petitions challenging the original sweep.<\/p>\n What\u2019s at stake is broader than cash return. While PhilHealth has expanded benefit packages and higher payments for complex diseases, persistent problems remain: Six years after the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act<\/a>, its implementation is still incomplete. UHC\u2019s intent is to consolidate financing\u2014PhilHealth inflows, Department of Health grants, and LGU health budgets\u2014into a single Special Health Fund (SHF) for each province or city, managed under one plan and budget, to streamline procurement and payments.<\/p>\n