PhilHealth appeals to private hospitals to reconsider plan to cut ties

PhilHealth

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) is asking private hospitals that have warned of cutting ties with the state insurer to reconsider, assuring that it will pay its unpaid claims to them.

PhilHealth spokesperson Rey Baleña said on Thursday that while they have yet to receive notices or letters from private hospitals that they will be disengaging from the agency, the state insurer is asking them to reconsider if they plan to push through with it.

He said disengagement of hospitals would have a grave impact on the country’s healthcare system, especially on patients who are unable to pay for their hospital bills.

“Kami ay umaasa na kung may mga plano ang ilan  sa ating hospital na mag-disengage mula sa PhilHealth, sana mareconsder nila ito,” Baleña said in a Laging Handa public briefing.

(We are hoping they will reconsider.)

“Ito ay napakaseryoso ng magiging epekto sa ating bansa, in particular, sa mga pasyente na walang kakayanan na magbayad fully ng buong hospital bill nila,” he added.

(This will have a serious effect in our country, particularly patients who are unable to pay their bills in full.)

The state insurer is hoping for a positive outcome between the meeting of PhilHealth chief executive officer and president Dante Gierran and the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi).

Baleña also assured that PhilHealth is open for dialogues with hospitals.

Lawmakers have called on PhilHealth to pay their unpaid claims to hospitals as some private hospitals have warned they were cutting ties with the government health system because of unpaid dues that had ballooned to P20 billion as of August.

For its part, Baleña said PhilHealth is committed to paying unpaid claims and has implemented measures to expedite the release of funds.

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JPV