PhilHealth to cover Covid patients’ treatment costs till April 14

PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales said the agency has set the period of shouldering the costs for the next 14 days “due to the novelty and the wide range of severity” of Covid-19 cases in the country. (File Photo: Philippine Health Insurance Corporation/Facebook)

MANILA — The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Thursday said it will continue to shoulder the hospital expenses and treatment costs of all patients with coronavirus disease (Covid-19) until April 14.

PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales said the agency has set the period of shouldering the costs for the next 14 days “due to the novelty and the wide range of severity” of Covid-19 cases in the country.

He added that there is “no existing case rate or package based on accepted protocols has yet been established”.

“PhilHealth is confident that by the above-mentioned date, more about the behavior of the disease in the Philippine can be learned,” the statement reads.

“A final protocol established and an appropriate case rate developed that will provide adequacy and sustainability to the anti-COVID-19 campaign,” it added.

PhilHealth added that it will “issue a new set of guidelines which will include the appropriate case rate and protocol” in addressing concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.

The state health insurance agency assures the public that it will fulfill its mandate under the Universal Health Care Law in terms of providing adequate health service to all Filipinos.

In a previous briefing, Morales said PhilHealth coverage includes isolation package and referral package for its members and dependents with possible symptoms of the Covid-19.

“Lahat ng may balance billing kasi ngayon universal healthcare na tayo eh, so lalo na ang mga tatamaan ng Covid-19, wala silang dapat na ilabas na pera (All those with balance billing since we are now with universal healthcare, (so) those who contracted Covid-19, they don’t have to spend their money),” he said earlier.

He also added that PhilHealth shoulders all the treatment costs whether the patients are admitted in public or private hospitals.