PRESS RELEASE
19 September 2024

PCC, IC hold dialogue on competition issues challenging HMO industry

PCC Economics Office Acting Director IV Kirsten dela Cruz (5th from right), Acting Director III Carlos Juan Paolo L. Vega (2nd from left), and other PCC staff with IC representatives Dr. Ronald E. Paguirigan (6th from left) and Lucky Ace P. Villanueva (6th from right) during the strategic policy dialogue held on August 13, 2024 in Quezon City.

The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) convened a strategic policy dialogue with the Insurance Commission (IC) to discuss the findings of its 2023 rapid market study on the health maintenance organization (HMO) industry.

The findings of the study highlighted competition concerns such as potential barriers to entry for new HMO entrants and the greater tax and regulatory requirements faced by HMOs compared to insurance companies offering HMO-like products.

IC representatives shared the agency’s regulatory framework and insights on the competitive landscape of the HMO and insurance industry. They discussed IC’s current efforts to monitor the competitive landscape of the HMO industry, as well as its ongoing review, through ex-post studies, of its own policies.

The dialogue concluded with the PCC and the IC agreeing to strengthen collaboration to better monitor and ensure healthy competition in the HMO industry.

PCC economist Diego Martin R. Romero (left photo) presents the salient points of the market study on the Philippine HMO industry with Insurance Commission representatives Statistics and Research Division Manager and concurrent HMO Division Manager Dr. Ronald E. Paguirigan and HMO Division Supervising Insurance Specialist Lucky Ace P. Villanueva (right photo) during the strategic policy dialogue held on August 13, 2024 in Quezon City.

The dialogue between the PCC and the IC was held on August 13 at the PCC office in Quezon City. The PCC conducts strategic policy dialogues to address competition policy issues in various sectors, aiming to assess the competitive implications of regulatory frameworks and propose recommendations to enhance market competition and economic efficiency.

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REFERENCE:  
publicaffairs@phcc.gov.ph  
PCC Public Affairs and Research Division