ACCESS TO QUALITY PSORIASIS CARE AND TREATMENT
SECTION 18. Establishment of Psoriasis Assistance Fund.
- There is hereby established a psoriasis Assistance Fund to support the psoriasis medicine and treatment assistance program. The DOH shall manage the Fund in accordance with existing budgeting, accounting and auditing rules and regulations and shall make a quarterly report to the Office of the President and Congress on the disbursement of the Fund.
The DOH may solicit and receive donations that shall form part of the Fund and such donations shall be exempt from income and or donor’s tax and all other taxes, fees and charges imposed by the government. Likewise, fundraising activities may be conducted by the Council and the proceeds of which shall accrue to the Fund and shall be exempt from any and all taxes.
Receipts from donations, whether in cash or in kind, shall be accounted for in the books of the done government agency in accordance with accounting and auditing rules and regulations. The receipts from cash donations and proceeds from sale of donated commodities shall be deposited with the National Treasury and recorded as a special account in the General Fund and shall be available to the implementing agency concerned through a special budget pursuant to Section 35, Chapter 5, Book VI of Executive Order No. 292. The cash value of the donations shall be deemed automatically appropriated for the purpose specified by the donor. Donations with a term not exceeding one (1) year shall be treated as trust receipts.
The donee-agency concerned shall submit the quarterly reports of all donations received, whether in cash or in kind, and expenditures or disbursements thereon with electronic signature to the DBM, through the Unified Reporting System, and to the Speaker of the House of the Representatives, the President of the Senate of the Philippines, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Finance and the Commission on Audit, by posting such reports on the donee-agency concerned websites for a period of three (3) years. The head of the donee-agency concerned shall send written notice to the said offices when said reports have been posted on its website which shall be considered the date of submission.
SECTION 19. PhilHealth Benefits for Psoriasis.
– The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation shall expand its benefit packages to include primary care screening, detection, diagnosis, treatment assistance, supportive care, management and follow-up care for all types and severity of psoriasis, in both adults and children. It shall also develop innovative benefits such as support for community-based models of care to improve psoriasis treatment journey and reduce costs of care, including stand-alone photo-therapy and biologic centers, ambulatory care, and community-based care and support facility. The development or expansion of any PhilHealth benefit shall go through a proper, transparent and standardized prioritization setting process, such as the Health Technology Assessment and actuarial feasibility study, to avoid inequitable allocation of funds for health care services.
The Psoriasis Assistance Fund and PhilHealth benefits shall be made available in public and private DOH- licensed psoriasis centers, DOH and PhilHealth shall prescribe, in consultation with stakeholders, the coverage rates and applicable rules on options to charge co-payment for services rendered. Processes to avail of such funding shall be streamlined to ensure timely provision of psoriasis care.
SECTION 20. PsorCoach Program for Psoriasis.
– The Council, in collaboration with Psoriasis Philippines (PsorPhil), DSWD, PhilHealth and LGUs shall develop appropriate and easily accessible modules certifying Patient Coaches and volunteers in providing PsychoSocial support for psoriasis patients, their families and carers. It shall aim to navigate the patients in the healthcare system and encourage the people living with psoriasis to undergo the necessary care and treatment.
Certified PsorCoaches will be considered as professional carers of people living with psoriasis and their services can be paid through PhilHealth, DOH, DSWD and LGUs budget for social services.
SECTION 21. Social Protection Mechanisms.
– The DOH, in collaboration with the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, DOLE, DSWD, PhilHealth and LGUs shall develop appropriate and easily accessible social protection mechanisms for psoriasis patients, their families and carers. It shall aim to encourage the underprivileged and marginalized people living with psoriasis to undergo the necessary treatment and care.
The Insurance Commission shall mandate the Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) to cover counseling and testing, psoriasis screening, diagnostics and care as well as certain therapeutics of all member employees.
The psoriasis-related absences from work of member employees as well as voluntary members shall be covered and compensated by the Sickness Benefits of the SSS and Disability Benefits of the GSIS.
The employees in the informal sector shall be prioritized in the psoriasis control packages of PhilHealth while the employees in the formal sector shall be offered cost-sharing PhilHealth benefit packages.
Children with Psoriasis shall be given free access to education or scholarship program by the government through the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission of Higher Education (CHED) until such time that he/she finishes college education.