MANILA, (PNA) — Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) anticipates total benefit payments of at least P62.98 billion this year or some 34 percent increase from the previous year’s P47 billion.
“The corporation releases some P1.2B per week for benefit payments,” said PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander A. Padilla.
He noted for the period January-June 2013 alone, PhilHealth already reimbursed a total of P26 billion which is already 30 percent higher from the P20 billion disbursed during the same period in 2012.
The increase is attributed to continuing enhancement of PhilHealth benefits which substantially cover hospital expenses of members and their dependents.
These benefits also ensure totality of care and attainment of better health outcomes especially from its low-risk and end-stage renal package worth P600,000, P210,000 for childhood leukemia and P100,000 each for early-stage breast cancer and low-to intermediate-risk prostate cancer.
PhilHealth also introduced catastrophic packages for coronary artery by-pass (P550,000), surgery for tetralogy of fallot (P320,000), surgery for ventricular septal defect (P250,000), low-dose cervical cancer chemoradiation with cobalt and brachytherapy (P120,000) and high-dose cervical cancer with linear accelerator and brachytherapy (P175,000).
Improved subsidies to various medical cases and expanded coverage also pushed benefit payments upward.
This means more and more beneficiaries are availing of the benefits when they need these most.
Continuing expansion of service facilities also contributed to increase in benefit payments.
Nine out of ten DOH-licensed hospitals are already PhilHealth-accredited for a total 1,622 health care providers nationwide.
Over 24,414 health care professionals have also been accredited across the nation.
“We will continue to enhance our benefit package to be more relevant to millions of members here and abroad,” Padilla assured.