AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to fulfill its mandate to provide reliable health insurance coverage to our countrymen and to promptly pay their dues to private hospitals using the profits it has made from its investments.
Lee made the statement on Wednesday during the budget briefing of the Department of Health, where he pointed out that he has received numerous complaints regarding the PhilHealth’s debts to hospitals despite the agency possessing an enormous amount of available investible funds and income.
Lee said he expects no less than the speedy fulfillment of PhilHealth’s commitment to hospitals, and that he will monitor the expansion of the agency’s healthcare package offered to our countrymen.
“Given that we have P466 billion worth of investible funds in PhilHealth, and the agency has P68.4 billion net income, bakit po maraming reports ang nagsasabing delayed ang bayad ng ahensya sa mga hospital? Ano po ba ang mandato ng PhilHealth; maging health insurance provider o maging isang state investment company?” the solon asked.
According to Lee, “malaki ang implikasyon nitong hindi pagbabayad o sobrang bagal na pagbabayad ng PhilHealth sa mga hospital.”
“Sa pag-iikot ko, maraming mga hospital ang hindi na tumatanggap ng indigent patients dahil sa laki ng utang ng PhilHealth sa kanila. Marami rin ang hindi na mapasweldo o delayed ang pagpapasweldo sa kanilang mga staff, nurse at doktor dahil hindi nakakabayad ang PhilHealth.”
Upon Lee’s questioning, PhilHealth President and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. admitted that it has a large amount of investible funds which, according to the latter, should be rectified.
Ledesma also confirmed that it currently owes hospitals a total of P27 billion.
During the said budget briefing, Lee asked PhilHealth when they would pay these debts in order to improve the services of private hospitals and prevent delays in the salaries of their medical personnel.
In response, Ledesma vowed that the agency would be able to pay the bulk of its P27 billion worth of hospital dues within 90 days.
“Based on our discussion, I am confident that within 90 days from today, the bulk or the majority of the P27 billion will be paid off,” said Ledesma.
Ledesma shared that they are preparing to use the Debit Credit Payment Method (DCPM) formula in accelerating their payment to hospitals. He also admitted that PhilHealth benefit packages have not been updated for the past 10 years.
The Bicolano lawmaker stressed that “kung 27 billion pesos yan, napakaliit lang na halaga yan kung tutuusin kumpara sa napakalaking pondo na meron ang PhilHealth. Hindi naman pwedeng lumalago nga ang pondo, pero marami ang naaagrabyado, kung saan nalalagasan tayo ng mga medical frontliners, at napagkakaitan ng serbisyong pangkalusugan ang mahihirap nating kababayan.”
“Kung may bilyon-bilyong pondo ang PhilHealth, dapat mas mapalawak ang benepisyo sa mga miyembro nito. Dapat fully ma-implement na rin yung outpatient benefit packages na covered ng ahensya tulad ng XRay, MRI, at madagdagan ang mga sinasagot nitong generic medicines, as well as the enhancement of benefit package for severe pneumonia acute hemorrhages,” added Lee.
Lee said that he expects no less than the speedy fulfillment of PhilHealth’s commitment to hospitals, and that he will monitor the expansion of the agency’s healthcare package offered to our countrymen.
“Hindi po tayo dapat pabagalan sa gobyerno,” said the lawmaker, who explained that “dapat lagi tayong nagsisikap at gumagawa ng paraan kung paano mapabilis ang sistema at mapagaan ang pasanin ng ating mga kababayan. Dahil sa bawat delay, maraming apektado, maraming nasasakripisyo, lalo na kung kaligtasan at kalusugan ng mamamayan ang nakataya. Winner Tayo Lahat kung mapapalawak at mapapabilis ng PhilHealth ang kanilang serbisyo.”
