Push Admin

Article (news)

PHILHEALTH LOGO

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

MANILA - The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has settled P50 billion in unpaid claims to hospitals and doctors for the last five months of 2023, its President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. told a House panel on Wednesday.   During PhilHealth’s briefing before the House Committee on Health, Ledesma said this amount includes the P27 billion in debt to hospitals, which PhilHealth committed last September to pay within 90 days.   “PhilHealth has paid north of P50 billion for the months of August to December, and in line with that, I think it is very clear that the P27 billion which we promised were complied with,” Ledesma reported.   He assured the committee that PhilHealth will continue to improve its system to prevent complaints about late payment of claims by hospitals and doctors.   INCREASED BENEFITS   PhilHealth, meanwhile, is increasing its benefit packages by 30 percent “almost across the board”. It takes effect on February 14, Wednesday.   Based on PhilHealth Circular 2024-01, the adjustment shall apply to existing case rates.   But several lawmakers are pushing for higher PhilHealth coverage to further reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of Filipinos availing of healthcare services.   House Speaker Martin Romualdez wants an increase in PhilHealth benefits that will cover at least 50 percent of costs in private hospital wards and the provision of free examinations for the early detection of deadly diseases, such as cancer.   “Oo nga, libre ‘yung sa Universal Health Care, ‘pag mayrong charity bed. Pero madaling maubos ang charity bed eh… Ang gusto ni Speaker, ipapakita lang, PhilHealth member ako, ito ‘yung card ko. Because sasagutin na ng PhilHealth ang kalahati ng payment,” House Deputy Majority Leader and ACT-CIS Party List Representative Erwin Tulfo said.   “Kulang ang 30 percent sa napakaraming case rates… Kailan ba natin maaasahan ang additional increases?” AGRI Party List Representative Wilbert Lee asked.   The PhilHealth chief expressed support for the Speaker’s call.   “We fully support all of the statements that were mentioned by Speaker Martin 100 percent,” Ledesma told the committee.   An official of the Department of Health said the agency is supportive of expanding PhilHealth’s benefit packages for its members, but it should also be guided by an actuarial study.   Asked whether increasing PhilHealth’s coverage to half of members’ hospital bills will trigger another hike in contributions, DOH’s OIC Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo issued this response.   “It will depend… Ano bang klaseng mga ospital at sinong klaseng mga pasyente… para sa anong klaseng mga sakit? Kasi ‘pag sinabay-sabay lahat, syempre hindi kakayanin ng biglaan. Pero depende ‘yan sa pag-aaral kung hanggang saan tayo pwede magsimula at masigurado natin na talagang mararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan ang benepisyo,” he told the media.   But Tulfo said funding for PhilHealth’s benefits are not entirely sourced from the contribution of its members. It is augmented by funds from the national budget. He added, there is a need to look into where the contributions go, including the interest from investments made using it.   Some lawmakers also issued a call to review PhilHealth’s charter.

PhilHealth has settled P50 billion in unpaid claims to hospitals and doctors for the last five months of 2023, its President and CEO told a House panel on Wednesday.

PhilHealth has settled P50 billion in unpaid claims to hospitals and doctors for the last five months of 2023, its President and CEO told a House panel on Wednesday.

Philhealth settles P50-B in unpaid claims to hospitals, doctors

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

Philhealth settles P50-B in unpaid claims to hospitals, doctors

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 14, 2024 09:54 PM PHT

Read More:

House of Representatives

House Committee on Health

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation

PhilHealth

claims

hospital

doctor

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.