The PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) Caloocan
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will abolish the single confinement policy by the end of September, its president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said on Tuesday.
He promised it during a joint hearing of the Senate committees on health and demography, and finance.
Under the single confinement policy, admission and readmission due to the same illness or procedure within 90 days shall only be compensated once.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, chair of the health committee, said the policy is “illogical.”
“Hindi mo mapipigilan ang pneumonia, hindi mo mapipigilan ang bleeding kapag maselan ‘yung pagbubuntis, hindi mo mapipigilan—pasintabi lang po sa inyong kumakain dito—kapag nagkadiarrhea tayo,” he said.
(You can’t stop pneumonia, you can’t stop bleeding when the pregnancy is delicate, you can’t stop—excuse me for those who are eating—diarrhea.)
“Bawal ‘yung single confinement policy ninyo, kalokohan po ‘yan. Napaka kalokohan, illogical po iyan,” he added.
(Your single confinement policy should be prohibited, it’s nonsense. It’s complete nonsense, it’s illogical.)
He then urged Ledesma to abolish the policy.
“I need your commitment dito sa removal of single confinement policy. Puwede ba natin marinig [na] tatangalin niyo ‘yung single confinement policy?” Go asked.
(I need your commitment here on the removal of the single confinement policy. Can we hear that you will abolish it?)
Ledesma replied: “We commit before month end, Mr. Chair.”
He also promised that an increase in the benefit packages would be implemented by the end of November, while dental benefits would be added to the packages before the end of December.
“Commitment ‘yan po,” he added.
(That’s a commitment.)