Persons 60 years old and above are considered vulnerable population, and who are suffering from illnesses known as comorbidities* including severe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Those illnesses considered comorbidities* are the following: a) immunocompromised diseases, like cancer and HIV/AIDS patients; b) diabetics; c) chronic cardiovascular ailments; and d) chronic respiratory.

Based on the Philippine National Health Accounts (PNHA) framework, health expenditures in 2018 for individuals aged 60 and above accounted for 22.0 percent of the total current health expenditures. While health expenditures for persons aged 65 and above accounted for 13.4 percent of the total health spending on the same period. (Table 1)

A total of PhP 171.5 billion were spent by the total population aged 60 years old and over, of which PhP 44.4 billion are spent by the population segment with comorbidities. (Table 3)

Around 15.7 percent of current health expenditures were spent on the treatment/management of illnesses that are correlated with severe and critical cases of COVID-19. Among them, expenditures on cardiovascular diseases were the highest, accounting for 9.6 percent of the current health expenditures in 2018. (Table 2)

Total health expenditures of PhP 101.2 billion by vulnerable population 60 years old were paid through the out-of-pocket by households consisting of nearly 60 percent of the total health spending. The remaining 40 percent were financed by: a) social health insurance scheme (or the PhilHealth) at PhP 32.5 billion; b) domestic revenue-based or central government scheme at PhP 16.3 billion and c) other financing, e.g., HMOs, etc. at PhP 21.5 billion. (Table 4)

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) releases indicators on health expenditures of the vulnerable population based on the framework of the Philippine National Health Accounts (PNHA). The PNHA is one of the satellite accounts being compiled annually by PSA.

*Based on the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, and the Department of Health’s Interim Guidelines

DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General

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