The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Monday disclosed that it has more than 12,000 accredited hospitals nationwide, with only a few healthcare facilities still outside the scope of its coverage.
“Sa kasalukuyan naman ay meron tayong over 12,000 na accredited healthcare partners nationwide. Kung meron mang hindi accredited, napaka-konti niya (At present, we have over 12,000 accredited healthcare partners nationwide. There are only a few facilities that are not yet accredited,) PhilHealth acting vice president for corporate affairs Rey Baleña said .
He said PhilHealth members could avail themselves of the increased benefit packages for hospitalization in accredited facilities.
In November last year, the state-run corporation announced that the rates of its benefit packages would increase up to 30 percent to lessen the out-of-pocket expenses of patients undergoing hospitalization.
This increased benefit rates took effect starting last Feb. 14.
However, PhilHealth also raised the premium or member’s contribution to five percent this year in accordance with the Universal Health Care law.
AGRI party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee earlier batted for 100 percent coverage for PhilHealth members.
“As much as possible) we want 100 percent coverage. PhilHealth can do that and even expand the benefits,” Lee said.
During a House committee briefing, PhilHealth expressed its commitment to expand the benefits of its members and beneficiaries.
“I would like to promise this committee, that we at PhilHealth, we will deliver big time. We can do all that,” PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said.
“I would like to thank the leadership of PhilHealth, headed by president and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., for heeding our call as early as September 2023 during our budget briefing here in Congress to increase its benefit packages given the available budget of the agency,” Lee said.
He added that he and his colleagues were glad over the 30-percent increase that PhilHealth already implemented, in terms of benefit packages.
However, Lee expressed optimism that with the increase in premium, the state insurer should also expand its benefits to members…
Lee cited complaints by some hospitals that they did not want to accept indigent patients who were unable to pay their doctors and employees due to the state health insurer’s huge debts, which have ballooned to P27 billion.
During the deliberation of the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Health (DOH) in September last year, Lee revealed that PhilHealth had enormous funds—P466 billion worth of investible funds and P68.4 billion net income. He urged the agency to use these funds to expand healthcare services and pay its hospital debts.
Lee filed House Resolution No. 1407 urging PhilHealth to update and increase its coverage by 30 percent, noting that its case rate is no longer responsive to the hospitalization cost of beneficiaries, as
this has not been adjusted for over a decade now.
Lee also urged PhilHealth to provide full coverage on cancer treatment, heart bypass surgery, and other major hospital operations, as well as the effective implementation of the “no balance billing” policy.
