PhilHealth released over P12.321-B funds vs COVID-19 crisis — Duterte report

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has released P12.321 billion to nearly 500 accredited healthcare institutions as the country faces the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), President Rodrigo Duterte’s seventh report to Congress showed.

In the report, Duterte said that the funds were released to 494 PhilHealth-accredited healthcare institutions through its Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) as of May 6.

Duterte said Philhealth has also paid over 3.6 million Philhealth claims equivalent to over P35 billion from January 1 to May 6 this year.

PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales earlier said that a P30-billion budget, set aside specifically for COVID-19 response, was prepared to assist patients afflicted with the disease.

Aside from the P30-billion budget for COVID-19 response, the agency also has current accounts that can be converted into cash equivalent to another P30 billion.

Morales, however, reminded that while PhilHealth still has funds amid the pandemic, the government still has to be “very careful with our expenditures.”

PhilHealth is implementing a new package which divides patients into four categories, depending on the gravity of their condition.

Coverage for mild pneumonia is set at P43,997, moderate pneumonia at P143,267, severe pneumonia at P333,519, and critical pneumonia at P786,384.

JPV