PhilHealth adds P16M more to debt after PH Red Cross resumes COVID-19 test

MANILA, Philippines — The outstanding debt of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) incurred an additional P16 million after the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) resumed conducting COVID-19 tests for the government.

Senator Richard Gordon, who also serves as chairman of the humanitarian organization revealed this Monday, during an online interview with reporters.

In this file photo, Senator Richard Gordon, also chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, leads an inspection by the humanitarian organization. (INQUIRER FILE)

He was asked for an update about the remaining due of PhilHealth to PRC, to which Gordon replied: “‘Yung bagong [Our new] billing namin is P16 million.”

PRC decided to “resume in full” its COVID-19 testing for the government on October 28, a day after PhilHealth made a partial payment of P500 million. Gordon said the state insurer made another partial payment to PRC amounting to P100 million last week.

“Nagbayad ng P100 million three days ago, so P600 million na ‘yung nabayaran nila,” Gordon further told reporters during the online interview.

(They paid P100 million three days ago, so they have already paid P600 million in total.)

Before the October 27 payment, PhilHealth owed PRC around P1.1 billion for tests conducted by the humanitarian organization for arriving overseas Filipino workers, passengers in airports and seaports, individuals needing COVID-19 tests in government swabbing facilities, and front-line health and government workers, among others.

The sum partial payment of P600 million could have reduced PhilHealth’s outstanding due to PRC to P461 million, but the additional P16 million brings the state insurer’s total bill to P477 billion as of November 2.

“Pero [But] PhilHealth is prepared for that. They have the money. I know they have the money,” Gordon said.

He, however, stressed that PhilHealth should not let its debt balloon again to P1 billion like what had happened.

“Kapag nag-test ka, pagka ‘di mo babayaran ‘yan, lalaki na naman ‘yan katulad ng nangyari do’n sa P1 billion,” he said.

(When we test, if you don’t pay right away, that would likely balloon to P1 billion again.)

Nevertheless, the senator said PhilHealth committed to paying their remaining balance once the state insurer verified all of the PRC tests being charged to them.

PhilHealth will need to validate around P500 million worth of tests done by PRC for the government or around 131,000 tests, Gordon noted.

“May committment babayaran…Ang ruling nila kailangang i-account isa-isa so natatagalan do’n,” he said.

(They committed to pay…Their ruling is they have to account first all of the tests charged to them, that’s where it’s taking long.)

“In fairness, I’m hopeful [that they will be able to pay]. Kaya lang it’s an irritation that we don’t need in the middle of a crisis after crisis,” he added.

(In fairness, I’m hopeful [that they will be able to settle pay]. But it’s an irritation that we don’t need in the middle of a crisis after crisis.)

KGA