03/02/2026
I say this with love and care, please get yourselves insured while you are still able to.
Kahit hindi sakin. Kahit sa ibang agency or tao. KAHIT PINAKA BASIC. Basta get one.
Di natin masabi what the future holds for all of us. But at least you have the peace of mind knowing that you have something to fall back on – just in case.
Since THIS is the reality that we face, we need to help ourselves.
Reducing Out-of-Pocket Expenses for the Middle Class: A Call for Urgent Action
- Dr. Tony Leachon
In the Philippines, the “new poor” are the middle class—families earning modest incomes yet crushed by taxes, healthcare, education, housing, and daily costs. While the poorest benefit from subsidies and zero-balance billing, the middle class is left exposed. They are the backbone of society, but increasingly at risk of collapse.
📊 Social Classes in the Philippines
Poor
💰 Income: < ₱12k–₱15k (family of 5)
👥 Share: ~18–20%
✅ Features: Subsidies, zero-balance billing
Middle Class
💰 Income: ₱20k–₱120k (family of 5)
👥 Share: ~40–45%
⚠️ Features: Tax-burdened, limited aid, vulnerable to poverty
Rich
💰 Income: > ₱120k (family of 5)
👥 Share: ~1–2%
✨ Features: Assets, private healthcare/education
⚖️ The “New Poor” Middle Class
• GDP Context: With growth at only 3.0%, incomes stagnate while costs surge.
• Burden: They shoulder most taxes, pay out-of-pocket for healthcare and education, and struggle with housing.
• Risk: Without reform, many will slide into poverty, destabilizing the nation’s economic backbone.
📌 The Call for Urgent Action
Out-of-pocket healthcare costs have risen sharply, eroding financial security and access to care. Immediate intervention is essential.
We urge government to mobilize Sin Tax Fund, PAGCOR, and PCSO revenues to:
• Pay arrears and cushion budget shortfalls in 2024–2025.
• Protect families from catastrophic spending by prioritizing the top ten killer diseases (heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory illnesses, etc.).
• Ensure continuity of universal health coverage.
• Reaffirm equity and solidarity in the healthcare system.
Conclusion
Healthcare is not a privilege—it is a right. To neglect the middle class is to imperil the nation’s stability and future. Bold leadership must act now to protect families, confront the deadliest diseases, and restore trust in our health financing institutions.
The poor must be saved, but so too must the middle class—our tax base, workforce, and stabilizers of society.
Tony Leachon
