MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Health Insurance Corporation President Dante Gierran will seek the approval of the state health insurer’s board to increase its coverage of dialysis sessions, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Gierran is seeking to expand PhilHealth’s dialysis coverage to 133 sessions annually from the current 90.
The PhilHealth board will meet Wednesday to tackle the proposal.
Roque also said that dialysis patients will receive P10,000 from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
PhilHealth earlier announced that Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act provided the basis for the “provision of special privileges such as the exemption from the 45-days limit or the 90-session limit per calendar year in the case of hemodialysis patients.” These privileges are valid within the effectivity of the law or until December 19, 2020.
But the Coalition for People’s Right to Health said that there were dialysis patients who were denied the promised extension.
“Initially, it was reported that several dialysis centers were asking patients to ‘cash out’ their excess from the limit, raising worries of non-reimbursement like the Philippine Red Cross situation. However, according to a memo from the PhilHealth Regional Office of Central Luzon, exemptions were ceased ‘pending the issuance of appropriate guidelines or circular which will authorize the exemption from existing corporate policies on benefit availment,’” CPRH said in a statement last week.
CPRH urged PhilHealth to keep its word on extending beyond the 90-day limit until December 19. It also asked senators to pass a counterpart bill requiring government hospitals to provide free dialysis sessions to indigent Filipinos.
“Any expansion to the existing benefits is most welcome, especially since the reality is that many patients end up deferring dialysis sessions when they are made to pay out of pocket,” Dr. Josh San Pedro, CPRH convenor, told Philstar.com Tuesday. — Gaea Katreena Cabico