THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) should pay the full hospitalization and treatment expenses of all Covid-19 patients, Representative Michael Defensor (Anakalusugan) said on Sunday, May 17.
"We want the 'No Balance Billing (NBB) policy' to apply to every Covid-19 patient, regardless of Philhealth's packaging of the insurance coverage," Defensor, House health committee vice chairperson, said.
Under the NBB or "Walang Dagdag Bayad" policy, no direct medical expense shall be exacted from the patient for the duration of confinement.
"Every Covid-19 patient should not have to worry about paying a single centavo for hospitalization and treatment," Defensor said.
For admissions prior to April 15, PhilHealth fully paid for the hospitalization and treatment costs of all Covid-19 patients, some of whom incurred bills in excess of P1 million each.
PhilHealth began adopting case rates for Covid-19 patients for admissions effective April 15. The bundles are as follows:
-- P43,997 for those with mild pneumonia;
-- P143,267 for those with moderate pneumonia;
-- P333,519 for those with severe pneumonia; and
-- P786,384 for those with critical pneumonia.
"The problem with case rate packaging is that not all Covid-19 cases in the same category are the same, precisely because we are dealing with a new disease," Defensor said.
"For instance, not all Covid-19 patients with critical pneumonia are the same. Some patients may have to stay longer in the intensive care unit (ICU) throughout their hospitalization, and they could end up getting billed in excess of the P786,384 case rate ceiling," Defensor said.
PhilHealth should also guarantee the payment of all additional charges beyond the maximum amount for the package, Defensor said.
The state-run health insurer has plenty of funds – including tens of billions of pesos in annual national government subsidy – to pay for the full cost of the hospitalization and treatment of Covid-19 patients, Defensor, also House public accounts committee chairperson, said.
As of May 16, the Department of Health reported a total of 12,305 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country, including 2,561 recoveries and 817 deaths. (PR)