News Release
April 10, 2007
Satur to push P10-B fund for elderly’s mandatory health insurance
Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo today vowed to push for mandatory health
insurance for all Filipino senior citizens in the next Congress.
“Filipino senior citizens deserve to obtain mandatory health insurance
after offering most of their lives to helping uplift their families
and the nation,” said Ocampo, himself a senior citizen who turned 68
on Saturday.
“We in Bayan Muna will work for the amendment of Republic Act 9257
which is supposed to grant free medical and dental services for senior
citizens. This law must be strengthened by explicitly stating that
mandatory health insurance be provided to them, and to allocate the
needed funds for such purpose,” said Ocampo.
The Bayan Muna solon said that “senior citizens and their families
will surely appreciate this concrete expression of concern for their
plight. About a fifth of all Filipino households will benefit from
this.”
Ocampo said that the government is in a position to provide funds for
the elderly by redirecting non-productive expenditures in the national
budget. “The amount of 10 billion pesos may be provided as an initial
outlay, and we hope to compel the Executive into further enlarging the
total health budget as well.”
“No Filipino senior citizen should be turned away by any hospital,
private or public,” said Ocampo.
Senior citizens comprise six percent of the 76.5 million Filipinos or
4.6 million, according to the 2000 census.
Of the total number of households in the country (15.3 milion), 17.13
(2.6 million) were headed by senior citizens.
One in five household had at least one senior citizen.
About 40 percent of senior citizens were farmers and fisherfolk.
Seniors composed 13.77 percent of total farmers and fisherfolk, and
six percent of total laborers and workers. ###
Reference:
Rep. Satur Ocampo
0917-8226184
