PhilHealth urged anew to settle obligations as private hospitals plan to sever ties
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 7:48 p.m.) — Three senators on Tuesday called on the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to immediately settle the unpaid claims of private hospitals amid reports that a number of the frontline institutions plan to disengage from the state-run insurer.
"PhilHealth must pick up the slack in settling its mounting obligations to hospitals that compromise our healthcare system," Sen. Grace Poe said in a statement. "We expect the state health insurer to come up with an aggressive catch-up plan for due reimbursement of claims."
"It is unjust for our frontline institutions to continue waiting for years seemingly with no end in sight on when they can be reimbursed."
The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. on Monday bared that some private hospitals in Metro Manila and other provinces "signified that they will no longer renew their accreditation with PhilHealth" over its continued failure to pay reimbursement claims. PHAPi president Jose Rene de Grano said these claims were mostly for services rendered to COVID-19 patients.
He added that more hospitals are expected to follow suit and announce that they plan to sever ties with PhilHealth in the next two weeks.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros in a separate statement appealed to private hospitals to "remain committed to ensuring access to affordable healthcare" while urging PhilHealth to "immediately settle the unpaid claims of many hospitals within a reasonable time period."
'Payment delays could force hospitals to downsize, halt operations'
"As this unfortunate situation persists, our health system becomes more vulnerable to being overwhelmed, especially in a pandemic," Poe said.
"The delay in payment could force hospitals to downsize or worse, halt operations, to the detriment of their workers who will lose jobs, and our people who cannot anymore take a heavy beating from the pandemic."
Hontiveros also called on the government to "explore options to provide crucial financial aid to hospitals at risk," citing its "limited capacity to provide hospital care."
"The pandemic isn’t over yet and our current health system must be able to serve the needy and not just those who are able to pay," she emphasized.
This was echoed by Poe who called on PhilHealth to "remember its commitment to the Filipino people not to leave anyone, especially the poor, untreated."
'A jobs issue too'
Meanwhile, Sen. Joel Villanueva in his own statement warned that delays in reimbursing private hospitals for treating PhilHealth members will make it more difficult for hospitals to retain vital personnel.
"This is also a jobs issue. When reimbursement is slow the flight of talent accelerates," Villanueva, who chairs the Senate labor committee, said.
PhilHealth, he added, should be helping private hospitals retain critical manpower, not the cause of their departure, "especially at a time when the pull of foreign recruiters is strong."
"You can have hospital beds but without medical staff, those beds are reduced to pieces of furniture," he said."During an epidemic, when the call is 'all hands on deck,' the role of a state corporation is to ensure that frontline units operate at optimum capacity.
Palace: PhilHealth has the funds to settle payments
Palace spokesman Harry Roque during his regular briefing on Tuesday also urged PhilHealth to settle its obligations.
Roque, who is the primary author of the Universal Health Care Law, emphasized that there should be no reason for PhilHealth to lack the funds to settle the payment when its sources are not just member contributions but taxes, the health department's budget, as well as the earnings of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp.
He also said President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly told Philhealth chief Dante Gierran to pay private hospitals' unpaid claims. — Bella Perez-Rubio with a report from The STAR
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