De Lima seeks probe into PhilHealth's unpaid hospital claims
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Representative Leila de Lima made the call under her House Resolution 46 amid the decision of some private hospitals to refuse honoring guarantee letters funded under the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program.
The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) earlier reported that 43 hospitals in Batangas have been awaiting payment for claims amounting to over P530 million, including one with receivables as high as P94 million.
'This has been a perennial issue that should urgently be addressed once and for all. It burdens patients and their families with additional fear if they could get assistance from the government in medical expenses,' de Lima said.
'Nangangamba na sila sa sakit, nangangamba pa sila sa mataas na gastusin sa ospital. Filipinos' right to access urgent medical care should not be denied just because they cannot afford to pay hospital bills, or because of the lack of trust of private hospitals that the government will pay them,' she added.
(The patients and their families are already fearing the high cost of medical bills.)
De Lima then urged the government to provide and implement clear mechanisms, including speedy and inexpensive remedies, to promptly settle unpaid claims in hospitals that affect their ability to render quality and efficient healthcare services to prevent closures and instances of hospitals stopping to accept guarantee letters from indigent patients.
The inquiry, de Lima said, will cover the existing government policies regarding payment of unsettled hospital bills and identify any gaps that cause delay in payment to expeditiously address them.
'These unpaid debts affect hospitals' financial stability and operating expenses, including salaries for healthcare professionals and staff. Nakakabahala ito dahil apektado nito ang kanilang operasyon at serbisyo. Paano natin matutupad ang layunin ng Universal Health Care Law kung paulit-ulit na lang ang ganitong problema?' De Lima said.
(This situation is already alarming because how can we implement the Universal HealthCare law if this problem is yet to be addressed.)
'We need to get to the bottom of this to protect the rights of patients and their families, and ensure that the government fulfill its duty to pay its obligation to hospitals and clinics over unsettled bills,' she added.
The 2025 P6.352 trillion national budget allocated zero allocation for government subsidy for PhilHealth due to the state-run insurance's inability to use its huge amounts of existing budget.
MAIFIP, on the other hand, is a program under the Department of Health (DOH) which provides financial assistance to indigent Filipinos on healthcare expenses.
The 2025 national budget earmarked P41.15 billion has been allocated for the program. — BM, GMA Integrated News
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