Mindanaotoday.com | PhilHealth-10 claims payments exceed its collection
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has paid over P4.082-billion worth of claims in Northern Mindanao, way above its P2.895-billion premium collections from the region last year.
This, even as PhilHealth Regional Vice President Delio Aseron II echoed an earlier report in a forum in Cagayan de Oro Wednesday, Feb. 15, that the premium rate of 4.5% set this year has been put on hold, as directed by Malacañang.
But PhilHealth has not suspended its “immediate eligibility” policy, guaranteeing benefits by members even with deficiencies in premium payments, Aseron said as the state’s health insurer marked its 28th year.
Thus, PhilHealth-10 had facilitated payments of some 530,467 claims in the amount of P4,082,525,473.86, as of December 2022, although it collected only P2,895,461,000 from 4,569,395 membership coverage for the year.
Aseron said one need not get hospitalized to avail of primary care benefits – checkup, screening and assessment, laboratory, and medicine – after the PhilHealth “Konsulta” Package was launched last year.
“The ongoing implementation of ‘Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama,’ also known as ‘Konsulta,’ focuses on the preventive aspect of health care,” said the PhilHealth-10 head and that it is aimed to reduce or avert hospital confinements.
He said the health care benefits can be availed of by members and their dependents.
“We are hoping that with the reduced hospital confinements, PhilHealth will be able to utilize more of its funds for the development of much better benefit packages for all,” Aseron said.
So far, PhilHealth 10 has accredited 84 “Konsulta” providers: Bukidnon 19, Lanao del Norte 23, Misamis Occidental 16, and Misamis Oriental, including Cagayan de Oro, 26. These have a total of 1,869,047 members who have opted their preferred primary care provider.
Earlier, PhilHealth issued a statement saying that even with the suspension of the premium rate increase to 4.5% from P4.0%, new benefit packages will be rolled out, as planned this year.
These include the Outpatient Therapeutic Care for Severe Acute Malnutrition, Outpatient Package for Mental Health, Comprehensive Outpatient Benefit, among others.
The statement assured the public that the current benefit packages will not be affected by the suspension of rate increase and that of the member’s income ceiling to P90,000 from P80,000. (MT)
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