Heads up: Most private hospitals hiking rates

Health workers walk outisde the St. Luke’s Medical Center  in Quezon City on March 23, 2020. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Patients of some private hospitals may be surprised by a spike in their hospital bill as hospitalization rates are expected to increase between 5 and 15 percent.

Speaking to ABS-CBN News, Dr. Jose Rene De Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPi), explained that the hike is an inflationary effect even on medical supplies, equipment and medicine.

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There are 1,200 private hospitals in the country, around half of which members of PHAPi.

“The bigger hospitals who are giving out bigger services may probably have increased even to more than around 20 percent,” he said.

Such hospitals are what they consider Level Two and Three hospitals. Both types of hospitals have sophisticated diagnostic equipment, specialized facilities like intensive care units. 

What sets Level Three hospitals apart, however, are their residency training programs.

De Grano said that the increase in hospitalization rates will remain competitive and that patients should expect hospitals services to be commensurate to hiked charges.

“That's what we try to tell our members, gandahan yung serbisyo nyo para naman justified kung tumaas man ang inyong, ano, mga charge.”

(We try to tell our members to improve their services so patients will feel the increased charges are justified)

The price adjustment, he added, is necessary to ensure continued services and to help make sure hospital employees are paid enough to meet rising prices.

'NOT SUBSIDIZED'

On the contrary, government hospitals have so far not implemented adjustments in hospitalization fees. 

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“Government hospitals are subsidized. Kahit anong gawin nila lagi silang may galing sa gobyerno. May pasyente o wala, dumarating ang budget nandyan.” 

(Whatever they do, they will also have subsidy from the government. With or without patients, they will always have a budget allotted for them.) 

“Private hospitals, we do not get subsidy from government. We rely on income namin, from the services na ino-offer namin sa aming mga pasyente,” De Grano said.

(We rely on the income from our services that we offer our patients.)

The increase in rates will mostly be felt by patients needing confinement, especially those who need laboratory tests and other similar services.

FASTER PHILHEALTH PAYOUTS

After complaints of delayed disbursements in the past, PHAPi said they are observing faster turnaround times in the disbursement of claims from state health insurer PhilHealth.

In a statement last May 20, PhilHealth claimed to have paid out P92 billion to different health facilities in the first five months of the year.

“Ito ang katunayang inaalagaan at sinisigurong ang bawat sentimong binabayad ay sulit at nagagamit sa benepisyo ng bawat Pilipino,” the statement read.

(This is proof that PhilHealth is ensuring that every cent paid by members is used for the benefit of every Filipino.)

“The hospitals are not that much complaining because they are paid faster,” said De Grano.

PhilHealth’s expanded benefits are also said to be higher compared to the price hike in hospitalization fees, which still allows for higher coverage and deductions.

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