Reyes: Extend medical coverage to resident workers

Senator Pete P. Reyes said he will soon introduce a legislative initiative requiring the government and private employers to shoulder medical expenses for resident workers.

He said the measure would only ask for “fair treatment” of resident workers since medical coverage is extended to nonresident workers.

“Why can’t we give the same benefit to the local employees?” he asked.

For instance, he said that if a local government staff gets pregnant, she pays for it, but if the employer’s house worker gets pregnant, the employer pays for her.

“We can keep that benefit for nonresident workers so long as government [or the private sector] also pays for the medical expenses of local employees,” he said.

In the past, a similar measure was proposed by then Sen. Juan P. Tenorio.

Called the Commonwealth Mandatory Health Care Act of 1999, Tenorio said that his proposal would help clarify the intent of the existing law stipulating that companies must foot at least half of the medical needs of their employees, including locals.