No balance billing sa COVID-19 cases hiniling sa PhilHealth

COVID-19

NANAWAGAN si AnaKalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor sa Philippine Health Insurance System na sagutin ang lahat ng gastos sa pagpapagamot ng isang nahawa ng coronavirus disease 2019.

Ayon kay Defensor maraming pasyente na nagpapagaling pa ay namomroblema na kung saan kukunin ang pambayad sa ospital dahil hindi lahat ay sinasagot ng PhilHealth.

“We want the ‘No Balance Billing (NBB) policy’ to apply to every COVID-19 patient, regardless of PhilHealth’s packaging of the insurance coverage,” ani Defensor, vice chairman ng House committee on health. “Every COVID-19 patient should not have to worry about paying a single centavo for hospitalization and treatment.”

Noong umpisa ay sagot ng PhilHealth ang lahat gastos ng isang nahawa ng COVID-19. Pero simula Abril 15 ay naglagay na ang limit ang ahensya.

Babayaran ng PhilHealth ang P43,997 sa mga nagkaroon ng mild pneumonia sanhi ng COVID-19.

Kung severe pneumonia ay P143,267 ang sagot ng PhilHealth; P333,519 para sa severe pneumonia; at P786,384 sa 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,” saad ni Defensor. “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.”

Sinabi ni Defensor na maraming pondo ang PhilHealth. Bukod sa kinokolektang buwanang kontribusyon ay may nakukuha rin itong pondo mula sa gobyerno para sa coverage ng mga mahihirap at senior citizen.

Ayon sa Department of Health mayroong 12,305 kumpirmadong kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa.