MANILA – Malacañang reiterated its appeal to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Tuesday to settle unpaid claims of private hospitals.
After certain private hospitals expressed their intention to cut connections with PhilHealth due to its continued failure to settle reimbursement claims, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque released the statement.
Roque urged PhilHealth president and CEO Dante Gierran in a virtual press conference to follow President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to resolve the matter of unpaid claims of private hospitals.
“Siguro po, mananawagan tayo ulit kay President Gierran, paulit-ulit pong sinasabi ni Presidente sa kaniya, hayaan mo nang bayaran nang bayaran iyan dahil sa panahon ng pandemya talagang magkakagulo at magkakaroon ng kakulangan kung ang mga pribadong ospital ay hindi kasama sa Universal Health Care (Perhaps, we will call on President Gierran, the President keeps on telling him to pay [the unpaid claims] because amid the pandemic, it will really be chaotic and there will be shortcomings if private hospitals are not part of the Universal Health Care),” Roque said.
According to Jose Rene de Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc., some hospitals in Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, and General Santos City have expressed their intention not to renew their accreditation with PhilHealth.
More hospitals are likely to declare their plans to disengage from PhilHealth in the next two weeks, De Grano added.
Private hospitals have expressed dissatisfaction with PhilHealth’s failure to settle unpaid claims by October, he said. The unpaid claims are mostly for services rendered to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients.
Roque, the principal author of Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, reminded PhilHealth that cutting ties with the state insurer would jeopardize the country’s healthcare system.
“Hindi po magtatagumpay ang Universal Health Care kung wala ang kooperasyon ng mga pribadong ospital dahil mas marami po ang nagbibigay ng serbisyo sa atin ngayon na pribadong ospital kaysa sa pang-gobyernong ospital (Our Universal Health Care will not succeed without the cooperation of private hospitals because they offer more services compared to government-run hospitals),” he said.
Roque expressed optimism that private hospitals would not pursue their plan, reassuring them that they have Duterte’s full support.
“Ako po ay nakikiusap naman sa mga pribadong ospital, paulit-ulit naman po na pinapakita ni Presidente ang suporta niya sa mga pribadong ospital dahil kinikilala po natin na mas maraming umaasa ngayon sa mga pribadong ospital kaysa doon sa mga numero ng pampublikong ospital (I am pleading the private hospitals. The President has repeatedly shown his support for private hospitals because we are acknowledging that many are relying now on private hospitals instead of relying on public hospitals),” he said.
