Saturday, June 10, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Columns Naked Thought by Charlie V. Manalo

Where have all the PhilHealth funds gone?

Charlie V. ManalobyCharlie V. Manalo
March 11, 2019, 12:30 am
in Naked Thought by Charlie V. Manalo
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

"PhilHealth must commission financial experts and managers with actuarial acumen to replace physicians doubling as accountants."

 

Where have all the flowers gone?

This is the opening line of a classic song written in 1955 by American singer and political activist Peter “Pete” Seeger who died in 2014.

Using the principle of alliteration, the song enunciates the futility of war juxtaposed on the cycle of life.  It is so simple and powerful cycle many an artists including the trio Peter, Paul and Mary have immortalized it down the line.

The song inspired me to write about the recurrent fund scandals that rock the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. every now and then. With all due respect to the songwriter, I made some modifications to bring home the message in today’s column.

“Where has all the money gone, long time passing?

Where has all the money gone, long time ago?

Where has all the money gone?

The thieves pocketed them everyone

When will they ever learn?

When will they ever learn?”

Over time since its creation, PhilHealth has shown us it is the bedrock of corruption in high places…involving mind-boggling amounts of money that belong to its marginalized members, notably senior citizens who have lost their capacity to earn by reason of age.

Last year alone, the agency reportedly paid out a total of P12.69 billion in claims by accredited hospitals representing bills of pneumonia patients across the country.

On the surface, it looks just fine and dandy. But a closer scrutiny would reveal something is rotten and stinks to high heavens.

Experts figured it out. According to them, the PhilHealth report indicated that some 810,000 patients, representing one out of nine who sought hospitalization, were stricken with the life-threatening lung ailment last year. Put another way, there was a pneumonia outbreak and the Department of Health didn’t say anything about it, obvPhilHealth was previously rocked by a similar scandal involving mounting bills pertaining to cataract removal.

In Iloilo, an eye doctor allegedly claimed an incredibleP16 million, representing his professional fees for equally unbelievable 2, 071 eye surgeries performed in 2006 alone.

Investigations showed that the shenanigan was replicated in various parts of the country.

In 2007, a ranking PhilHealth official testified at the congressional inquiry that the agency lost P4 billion in fraudulent claims starting in 1995.

PhilHealth was also the epicenter of a P10.6-billion fund diversion scandal to bankroll a failed barangay-based health center building program.

The scheme involved enrolling families  in PhilHealth at P1,200 per family member, chargeable to PhilHealth and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

In 2017, PhilHealth reported a P4.9-billion in operating cost, as well as a P250-million deficit during the previous year.

The negative figures are getting bigger and bigger every year. If this is not disturbing, I don’t know what is.

Experts traced PhilHealth’s burgeoning  financial woes to its allegedly flawed All Case Rates payment scheme.

Introduced in 2011, the ACR guarantees definite amounts in claims for hospitalization or surgery among the agency’s 85-million members.

The Commission on Audit computed the ACR overpayments at 20 percent of total benefits disbursed last year. In absolute terms, PhilHealth paid out P114 billion. Of this amount, P22.8 billion represented overpayments to accredited hospitals.

If the ACR is that problematic, the least PhilHealth can do is amend it if not lop it off altogether like physicians would do to a cancerous tissue to prevent the whole body from being infected.

Regrettably, the agency’s past and present managers have been uncharacteristically indifferent to suggestions for fiscal and administrative reforms.Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

Last year, the state auditors served notice that PhilHealth  Regional Office 2 incurred overpayments totaling P56 million in members’ benefits for a two-month period (November and December) alone. Without doubt, the amount would exponentially multiply if the COA probe were expanded to cover the whole year and all the regions nationwide.

But of course, these anomalies, unchecked as they have been, could only be committed through unholy alliances between the accredited hospitals and PhilHealth officials and employees with insatiable appetites for ill-gotten wealth.

With President Duterte’s enactment of the Universal Health Care Law that enriches the PhilHealth by additional P275 billion, there will be more where the thieves’ source of loots would come from.

PhilHealth’s basic mandate is to provide a healthcare fund for the people. Necessarily, it must develop and implement a comprehensive insurance coverage plan for all Filipinos.

To ensure stability of its operations, PhilHealth must commission financial experts and managers with actuarial acumen to replace physicians doubling as accountants.

Nowadays, the trend among corporations and agencies is to upgrade their systems through computerization to stay in the race.

PhilHealth needs to rethink its position. Maintaining the status quo is more of an exception to the rule. When will they ever learn?

Tags: All Case RatesCharlie ManaloPhilippine Health Insurance Corp.
ADVERTISEMENT
Charlie V. Manalo

Charlie V. Manalo

Related Posts

Starting on the wrong foot

byCharlie V. Manalo
July 2, 2022, 12:00 am
0
223
Denying Villafuerte justice

"I was thinking that hijacking can only be done in the open seas, but not in land-based terminals" it is...

Read more

Too fertile an imagination

byCharlie V. Manalo
June 27, 2022, 12:00 am
0
77
Denying Villafuerte justice

"The funny thing is they are still very much in existence, doing what they do best—That is to criticize the...

Read more

A failure to head food security?

byCharlie V. Manalo
June 25, 2022, 12:05 am
0
43
Denying Villafuerte justice

"Lest Carlos forgets, Piñol was forced to resign as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture in 2019 after his benefactor,...

Read more

A recipe for disaster

byCharlie V. Manalo
June 18, 2022, 12:05 am
0
41
Denying Villafuerte justice

"If there are plans to make PTFOMS a milking cow by transforming it into a welfare office for the media,...

Read more

The people’s lawyer

byCharlie V. Manalo
June 16, 2022, 12:00 am
0
80
Denying Villafuerte justice

“One name keeps cropping up for the position of Solicitor General...that piece of rumor pique my interest as it pertains...

Read more

Feeling entitled

byCharlie V. Manalo
June 13, 2022, 12:00 am
0
28
Denying Villafuerte justice

“A critic of whatever issue tasked to lead a probe could be dangerous as the post could be used to...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Shanti Dope goes all in to spoil his girl 
  • Artist’s corner
  • Rising ‘Dance Princess’ delivers upbeat pop track with empowering message
  • Innovator boosts SMBs’ competence
  • Logistics platform prioritizes interest of delivery partners
  • CSR campaign expands into a livelihood project in urban and rural communities
  • BPO firm calls for new round of donations for the underprivileged
  • Traveling with your little ones in Singapore? Here’s what you can do in the Lion City

Advertisement

Latest News

CSR campaign expands into a livelihood project in urban and rural communities

byManila Standard
June 10, 2023, 6:40 pm
0
8
BPO firm calls for new round of donations for the underprivileged

Insurance firm Allianz PNB Life has expanded its Ride Safe campaign into a new program equipped with livelihood intervention component...

Read more

BPO firm calls for new round of donations for the underprivileged

byManila Standard
June 10, 2023, 6:30 pm
0
8
BPO firm calls for new round of donations for the underprivileged

TELUS International Philippines Community Board, TELUS International Philippines’ fund-granting foundation is accepting grant applications from non-profit and charitable organizations up...

Read more

Traveling with your little ones in Singapore? Here’s what you can do in the Lion City

byManila Standard
June 10, 2023, 6:20 pm
0
8
Traveling with your little ones in Singapore? Here’s what you can do in the Lion City

Embarking on a family trip with toddlers can be both exciting and challenging. Like any vacation, advanced planning and preparation...

Read more

How to stay connected when going out of town

byNickie Wang
June 10, 2023, 6:10 pm
0
8
How to stay connected when going out of town

When you’re heading out of town, it’s important to stay connected with your loved ones and keep up with social...

Read more

Cozy family staycations this June

byManila Standard
June 10, 2023, 6:00 pm
0
8
Cozy family staycations this June

June greets the metro with cloudy skies and sweater weather, perfect for staying in bed for a few more minutes,...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App