Free Health Aids for Seniors Act

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session JUL 17 P4:28 SENATE RECEN S. No. 712 Introduced by Senator Raffy T. Tulfo AN ACT PROVIDING FOR FREE DENTAL, VISION, AND HEARING ASSISTIVE DEVICES, INCLUDING DENTURES, PRESCRIPTION GLASSES, AND HEARING AIDS, TO SENIOR CITIZENS AND INDIGENTS EXPLANATORY NOTE This bill aims to address the increasing number of senior citizens and indigents who suffer from visual and hearing impairments, as well as poor oral function and appearance. It is in line with Article II, Section 9 of the 1987 Constitution, which states that the State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all. Furthermore, Article XIII, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution provides that the State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development, which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health, and other social services available to all people at affordable cost, giving priority to the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children. According to the 2018 Philippine Eye Disease Study, 1.98% of Filipinos experience visual impairments, primarily caused by cataracts, uncorrected refractive errors, glaucoma, and maculopathy.' Alongside this, a 2018 National Health Survey stated that approximately 73 million Filipinos were experiencing dental caries and tooth decay.? 1 https://www.peri.ph/philippine-eye-disease-study 2 https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/05/25/2268760/73-million-pinoys-suffering-tooth-decax

Lastly, in a 2011 study done by the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine, it found that approximately 15% of the Philippine population experiences moderate or worse hearing loss. The study found that the prevalence was 7.5% among children, 14.7% among adults aged 18 to 65, and 49.1% among those aged 65 and older. 3 Depending on the features or type required, dentures, prescription eyeglasses, and hearing aids come at varying prices. Basic prescription glasses usually include both the frame and lenses and are among the more accessible options. However, for many senior citizens and indigents, even these remain out of reach, as glasses are often considered a luxury rather than a necessity. Similarly, dentures are often too costly, prompting individuals to focus on meeting their daily needs instead, even if it means sacrificing their confidence and comfort. Hearing aids, in particular, can also be expensive, often amounting to hundreds of thousands of pesos, even though they are necessary for communication and development as well as for maintaining one's safety. For a minimum wage earner, a senior citizen, or an indigent person, these devices would often amount to more than a month's worth of work, excluding the basic needs required to sustain a person, let alone a family. Acquiring these assistive devices on their own is often not an option due to financial constraints. This inaccessibility can lead to lower self-esteem, miscommunication, and difficulty in securing employment, all of which contribute to a diminished quality of life. This proposed bill seeks to make these assistive devices free and accessible to senior citizens and indigents so that their impairments will not hinder them from opportunities and experiences one may have without such limitations. In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this measure is earnestly sought. -boy RAFFY T. TULFO *https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32608243/

.. ' THE TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE PHILIP REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) RECEIVED First Regular Session DAHUL 1 7. 2025 m TIME: _ 4:28 pmes BY: SENAT 12 S. No._ BALD & INDEX Introduced by Senator Raffy T. Tulfo AN ACT PROVIDING FOR FREE DENTAL, VISION, AND HEARING ASSISTIVE DEVICES, INCLUDING DENTURES, PRESCRIPTION GLASSES, AND HEARING AIDS, TO SENIOR CITIZENS AND INDIGENTS Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress Assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as " Free Health Aids for Seniors

2 Act."

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to adopt an integrated

and comprehensive approach to health development that ensures the availability of essential goods, health services, and other social services to all people. In line with its commitment to accessible and inclusive healthcare, the State shall provide assistive devices such as dentures, hearing aids, and prescription glasses. Towards this end, the State shall give full support to the improvement of the total well-being of senior citizens and indigents.

Sec. 3. Free Dental, Vision, and Hearing Assistive Devices. - The Philippine Health

Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), shall develop and implement a special benefit package that shall fully cover the cost of assistive devices, including but not limited to complete or partial dentures, prescription eyeglasses, and hearing aids, for qualified senior citizens and indigents. Medical and dental consultations, including the prescription of the assistive devices covered under this Act, shall be conducted in the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT), dental, or

ophthalmology departments, or, in the case of senior citizens, through the geriatric center of national or local government hospitals.

Sec. 4. Persons Covered. - This act shall cover Senior Citizens referring to any

citizen of the Philippines who is at least sixty (60) years of age; and Indigent Persons, 5 referring to individuals with no visible means of income, or whose income is deemed insufficient for family subsistence, as determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Sec. 5. Appropriations. - The appropriations necessary to implement the provisions

of this Act and its implementing rules shall be included in the respective budgets of the DOH, the PhilHealth, and the DSWD under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Sec. 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from the

approval of this Act, the DOH and the PhilHealth, in coordination with the National 13 Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), the DSWD, and other relevant agencies, shall jointly formulate rules and guidelines necessary for the proper implementation and enforcement of this Act.

Sec. 7. Repealing Clause. - All laws, orders issuance, circulars, rules and regulation

or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Sec. 8. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared

unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provision hereof not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Sec. 9. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication

in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. Approved,