The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation assured the public it is committed to pay benefits due all Covid-19 patients regardless of their admission date, upholding its earlier announcement that it pays at cost until April 14, and through its new case rate packages starting April 15 onwards.
Under the new case rates, patients confirmed with Covid-19 and developed into severe illnesses will be compensated as follows: mild pneumonia for P43,997; moderate pneumonia for P143,267; severe pneumonia for P333,519; and critical pneumonia for P786,384. These new rates and the guidelines on how hospitals should be able to assist patients in availing of the benefits are contained in its Circular No. 2020-0009.
The state agency also said that it is now paying for testing based on another circular (No. 2020-0010) which prescribes coverage for Covid-19 tests from P2,710 to as high as P8,150 depending on how the test kits were procured by the accredited testing laboratories.
Balancing act
In earlier statements, PhilHealth clarified the need for prudence in managing its funds to strike a balance between being able to support patients in the present and the need to support more patients in the future. It clarified it has the responsibility to the Filipino people to make sure that their fund is always ready to continue paying for Covid-19 patients as well as the rest of needy members in the country.
To help cover cost of treatment, patients can make use of their HMOs or private health insurance as well as mandatory discounts such as senior citizen and PWD discounts, if applicable, to substantially cover treatment costs. However, for those who do not have the means and even those whose financial capacity is compromised, PhilHealth assured them that they can still apply for additional support.
