The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI) said Thursday that some privates hospitals are at risk of closure due to the unpaid claims by Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth).
“[T]here are feedback given to the PHAPI by some hospitals… na pinarating sa pamunuan [that reached] ng PHAPI that they could probably close if they don’t get payment from PhilHealth,” spokesperson Jhihann Natividad said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.
Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Tuesday filed a resolution urging PhilHealth to pay P18 billion claims to hospitals nationwide.
However, Natividad said PHAPI is still gathering data as the information used by the lawmaker came from the Philippine Hospitals Association, which included both private and government hospitals. At the same time, PHAPI is exclusive to private hospitals.
“…I still have to see the list as to which hospitals have said that and as to which hospitals are really struggling right now,” she said.
“Most probably you will expect it to be that way kasi kung laki ng revenue ay inaasahan sa PhilHealth payment. The hospital will definitely bleed. Pero tayo, we don’t want to argue about something na wala tayong data,” she said.
(Most probably you will expect it to be that way because the revenue depends on the Philhealth payment, the hospital will definitely bleed. But we don’t want to argue about something that we don’t have data on.)
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“Kaya ang stand po ng PHAPI diyan is let’s go back to the record, the system, we talk about your claims and what is it that has not been paid. Dapat mag-usap-usap na,” she added.
(PHAPI’s stand is let’s go back to the record, the system, we talk about your claims and what is it that has not been paid. There should be a discussion about that.)
PhilHealth earlier said it sees to have a fund deficit by 2024 based on the current COVID-19 scenario in the country.
PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales said during a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Universal Health Care (UHC) that the state insurer projects a P40.7 billion for COVID-19 financing it has to cover.