INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Public hospitals that will charge indigent patients either for professional fee or medicines will soon be fined by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for violation of the so-called “no balance billing” system, its president said on Tuesday.
Under the “no balance billing” system, indigent patients should not pay a single centavo when they go to a public hospital, lawyer Alexander Padilla, president and executive chief officerof PhilHealth, told reporters after attending the hearing of the Senate committee on health.
“Wala ho syang dapat binabayad ni singko for medicines, professional fees o kaya diagnostic o anumang gastos (He should not pay a single centavo for medicines, professional fees or diagnostic or any other expenses),” Padilla said.
If the medicines are not available in the hospital, then Padilla said the hospital itself should buy the medicines or give the patients the money to buy the medicines .
But the PhilHealth chief disclosed during the hearing that some hospitals only admit indigent patients “upon discharged.”
“So pagpalabas na raw yung pasyente saka na lang nila ginagawang mahirap. In the meantime nakapagbayad ng mga gamot, professional fee etc.,” he pointed out.
(When the patient is about to leave the hospital, that’s the only time they admit him as indigent. In the meantime, they have already paid for their medicines, professional fees, etc.)
Padilla said the enrolment of “point of care” system should start upon the admission of the patients in the hospital.
“On the very day of admission. So dapat walang binabayarang mga gastos,” he further said.
To address this problem, Padilla said PhilHealth would formulate a policy where hospitals would be charged three times the amount of what they charged to indigent patients.
This new policy, he said, could take effect in a month or two.
During the hearing , Ana Maria Nemenzo, national coordinator of the Woman Health Philippines, suggested that children under five years old or their parents as well as persons with disabilities (PWDs) should be automatically enrolled as PhilHealth members.
“Ito po palaging nilang sinasabi (This is what they always say) they are always marginalized. Hindi po talaga nakakaabot sa kanila ang mga serbisyo (The services don’t really reach them),” Nemenzo said.
But Padilla pointed out that the New PhilHealth Law already covered abandoned, neglected and abused children as well as women who are about to give birth .
Asked after the hearing if it was possible to cover all children under five years old and the PWDs, Padilla said they have yet to study the proposal.
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