Contracting for Health Care under the New Philippine UHC Act

• Main Authors: Schuhmann, Ralph, Bautista, Maria Cristina G
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2021
• Subjects: contracting; health insurance; socio legal analysis; Health Law and Policy; Insurance
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/gsb-pubs/57; https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/10.5771/0506-7286-2021-1-98/contracting-for-health-care-under-the-new-philippine-uhc-act-volume-54-2021-issue-1?page=1
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

The 2019 Philippine UHC Act provides one of the most recent examples of contractualization of health care. Despite the significant change it brings; it regu‐ lates contracting only marginally; so that the purpose and deployment of this mech‐ anism remain largely unclear. This study examines how contracting under the new law can contribute to achieving the reform goals and; to this end; subjects the UHC Act and its Implementing Rules and Regulations to a socio-legal analysis. In the process; it becomes apparent that; contrary to the general trend; the law adheres to a decidedly hierarchical form of contracting; which is in a certain state of tension with the network-like organization it promotes and the use of contracting to realize development-oriented goals. To effectively implement the law's contracting con‐ cept; the authors suggest underpinning it with a more relational approach; a stronger management orientation of the executing entities; and the development of appropri‐ ate network governance concepts.