PhilHealth’s failure to pay is already forcing private and public hospitals to use their savings and take out loans, according to the Philippine Hospital Association (PHA)
PHA President Dr. Jaime Almora revealed the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs’ hearing on the status of industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They have to dig into their savings, and they have to borrow from the bank. Some hospitals who have called already informed me that they have borrowed from the bank for their operating budget,” he said.
Almora said the unpaid claims for COVID-19 cases are already “causing severe financial distress” to hospitals.
He said PhilHealth is paying for claims for other diseases, but other hospitals are mainly accepting COVID-19 cases.
Almora said PhilHealth has yet to explain this policy.
“That is the biggest problem because we are not given a reason why. This is now causing severe financial distress to private hospitals as well as the government hospitals,” he said.
The PHA president cited one hospital as an example where the state insurer has yet to pay a total of P1.2 billion.
PHA: Hospitals forced to use savings due to unpaid PhilHealth claims
“Remember, that if the hospitals are not paid, the doctors, the professional component is not also paid. So here are doctors working for the COVID patients, but they are not being paid,” Almora noted.
Meanwhile, Senator Francis Pangilinan said this is “unacceptable.”
“At this point parang ‘Wala kaming pakialam sa inyo, magtiis kayo.’ [‘Yan] ang dating sa atin dito dahil, you are the frontliners, and yet this is how you are treated by government in terms of government support, in terms of funding. This is totally unacceptable,” Pangilinan said.
(At this point, it seems that they are telling the hospitals that ‘We don’t care and just deal with it.’ That is how it looks like. You are the frontliners, and yet, this is how you are treated by government in terms of government support, in terms of funding. This is totally unacceptable.)
“We must look into this and get results. March 2020 pa. It’s already May 2021. We hope and we intend, kakalampagin natin ang (we should urge) PhilHealth,” he added.
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