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MARIING kinuwestiyon ni Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon ang Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) kung bakit pinapatawan ang miyembro ng magastos na pagsusuri para sa coronavirus disease (COVID-19) habang ang ibang ahensiya o organisasyon, gaya ng Philippine Red Cross ay kayang magbigay ng kagayang serbisyo at pagsusuri sa mas mababang halaga.
Hindi umano maintindihan ni Drilon kung bakit inaprobahan ng PhilHealth ang COVID-19 package rate sa halagang P8,150 gayong ang PRC ay kayang ibigay ang nasabing package rate nang halos kalahati ng nasabing presyo.
“If you have yourself tested (at Red Cross its) 50 percent lower or about P4,000, and so PhilHealth would have a package of 8,000?” ani Drilon sa Senate Committee of the Whole hearing kaugnay ng pag-usisa sa tugon ng pamahalaan sa pandemyang COVID-19.
“I think this is a little overpriced and this causes unnecessary depletion of the resources of PhilHealth,” ani Drilon.
Mariing tanong ng Senador, “Red Cross has shown they could make it viable at P4,000, so why is PhilHealth package costing the members of PhilHealth P8,150?”
Ipinaliwanag ni Health Secretary Francisco Duque III na ang aktuwal na singil ay mula P2,710 hanggang P8,150, depende sa test kits na ginamit.
Ani Duque, ang ibang COVID-19 test kits na ginamit ay donasyon habang ang ibang laboratory ay gumatos para sa test kits.
“If the testing is not done by the DOH, and the test kit used was not donated, that means the laboratory had spent for the cost. It would be P8,150 per test. If the testing was not paid for by the DOH but the test kit was donated (the amount could be lesser),” paliwanag ni Duque.
“Kasi meron ho tayong mga donated test kits, especially during the initial phase of our ramping up of our testing capacity,” paglilinaw ni Duque.
Pero iginiit ni Drilon, dapat iangkop ng state-run health insurance agency ang package rate at ikonsidera na ang UP test kits ay P2,000 habang ang test kits mula China ay P1,500.
Aniya, walang puwedeng idahilan ang PhilHealth para hindi sila kumuha o maghanap ng package rate kagaya ng sa PRC.
“Yes, we are talking about the Philhealth… I think it (package rate) is overpriced,” ulit ni Drilon.
“The UP test kit costs about P2,000 and the price from China is about P1,500, assuming there is a corresponding service fee in the conduct of the testing. This is about P2,000. That is why the Red Cross package is within that area, within that cost,” diin ni Drilon.
“But P8,000 from PhilHealth? That is really something that will make you start to wonder. I hope this can be reviewed. Can the PhilHealth review this because we believe this is overstated,” ani Drilon sa DOH secretary.
Sumag-ayon naman si Duque, at sinabing , rerepasohin agad ito ng task force for COVID-19 at isusumite ang rekomendasyon sa susunod na linggo. (NIÑO ACLAN)
