President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. highlighted during the inspection of the Clark Multi- Specialty Medical Center that quality healthcare is not a privilege, but a right that every Filipino should readily access.
In line with this, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has implemented various initiatives to ensure the health and well-being of every Filipino.
Minimizing the burden of disease
PhilHealth Central Luzon Acting Vice President Henry Almanon said their end goal is to reduce out-of-pocket expense of patients, particularly indigents, in terms of seeking health consultations and hospital confinements.
“That is why in the last quarter of 2023, we launched our biggest benefits by expanding our packages,” he disclosed.
Among these, the state firm increased coverage of dialysis sessions from 90 days to 156 days, or equivalent to almost six months.
This means that for a renal disease patient needing dialysis twice a week, PhilHealth can cover his or her session until the 4th quarter of the year.
Another improvement is the expanded case rates or payments for hospital confinement of patients for ischemic stroke from P28,000 to P76,000; hemorrhagic stroke from P38,000 to P80,000; and high-risk pneumonia from P32,000 to P90,100.
Despite the increase in case rates, Almanon clarified that only basic and essential health services for the management of disease are expanded, and amenities in private hospitals that are not essential such as hotel type confinement will not be covered.
From curative to preventive care
PhilHealth has shifted its focus on the confinement or in-patient benefit, also known as the curative care, to preventive care for cost-efficiency. As Almanon puts it, the expansion of the primary care services is the heart of all of their programs.
Known as the Konsulta Package, created pursuant to Republic Act 11223 otherwise known as the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Law, PhilHealth is now pushing for every Filipino to be registered in at least one primary care service because prevention is always better than cure.
“We incur great expenses for confinement. Many diseases are preventable and if we have primary care providers for checkups and basic laboratory services, we will not reach the point that we need to be hospitalized,” Almanon explained.
Recognizing that many people acquired serious mental health problems as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, PhilHealth also launched its mental health package.
In Central Luzon, the Mariveles Mental Wellness and General Hospital in Bataan has been accredited to provide benefits for patients who are under the facility’s care.
Moving Forward
As part of its ways forward, PhilHealth continues to advocate the programs under the UHC Law. Among their initiatives is a collaboration with the provincial government of Pampanga for the conduct of a Central Luzon Health Care Provider’s Summit on January 25 and 26. The event provides an avenue for the convergence of the primary movers of health in the region including the local chief executives, rural health workers, health workers in private hospitals, and accredited health service providers.
“It features talks on the UHC gains and challenges since it was first implemented. Invited stakeholders will get the opportunity to share their insights and experiences regarding their participation in the implementation of the UHC so that they can adopt each other’s best practices and collaboratively address common gaps encountered,” Almanon shared.
The state firm will likewise participate in the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair in Botolan, Zambales this weekend, January 27 and 28. Among the services it will offer include Issuance of PhilHealth number for those who are not yet members, issuance of ID and registration to primary health care providers for those who are already members of the corporation, and health profiling to be encoded in the database system.
“We aim to achieve that all Filipinos will be enlisted as our members. That is why we call on everyone eligible to go to our offices, register as members, and regularly update your records. Do not wait until you or your relatives are hospitalized before you go to our office to avoid long lines and other problems in your records,” he pressed.
For PhilHealth, ensuring a well and healthy populace is of paramount importance. That is why as it continues to improve and expand its services and packages, it fully commits itself to be a partner in pushing for the improvement of the healthcare system in the Philippines. (CLJD/MJSC-PIA 3)