The state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Monday said it hoped private hospitals would reconsider their plan to hold a so-called “PhilHealth holiday” since ordinary Filipinos would be greatly affected.
The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) is urging its members not to accept claims for PhilHealth deductions for health services from Jan. 1 to 5, according to Dr. Jose de Grano, PHAPI president.
He said this “PhilHealth holiday” was their way of showing support for hospitals that earlier announced their disengagement from the health insurer due to mounting unpaid claims.
The latest was Far Eastern University-Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation (FEU-NRMF), which said it would no longer renew its accreditation with PhilHealth because of some P200 million in unpaid claims.
Earlier, seven major private hospitals in Iloilo City announced plans to sever ties with PhilHealth starting next year due to unpaid claims amounting to more than P545 million.
These are the Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital, Iloilo Mission Hospital, Medicus Medical Center, Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center Inc., St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo, The Medical City-Iloilo and Qualimed Hospital-Iloilo.
While he admitted that other hospitals might find it difficult to join the “holiday” since there were services that were dependent on the agency, De Grano appealed for the public’s understanding should it push through.
PhilHealth spokesperson Shirley Domingo said in a Viber message to the Inquirer that they were hoping that PHAPI would rethink the planned action.
“Eventually it will be the Filipino people who will suffer the consequences of such a call,” she said.
As of Dec 24, Domingo said PhilHealth had fast-tracked the release of P11.64 billion for the payment of claims through the Debit Credit Payment Method (DCPM) to hospital partners nationwide. (©Philippine Daily Inquirer 2021)
