PhilHealth has until Tuesday to pay P800-M debt from COVID-19 tests to Red Cross —Gordon

Senator Richard Gordon, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross, has given the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) until Tuesday to settle its remaining balance for coronavirus tests conducted by the humanitarian organization.

According to Maki Pulido’s report on “24 Oras” on Monday, Gordon said the state health insurer’s debt to the Red Cross has ballooned to P800 million.

“Twenty-six days na ‘yung huling bayad nila. E nagba-balloon na ‘yung payment to P720 million. Ngayon lang, nasa P800 million na today. E pa’no naman kami makakapag-continue na makabili ng mga test kits e ang mahal mahal ng test kits,” he said.

The Red Cross will temporarily stop accepting COVID-19 tests that will be paid for by PhilHealth, Gordon warned. 

PhilHealth spokesperson Shirley Domingo countered that the payments still need to be processed.

“The bill that they were saying was received only last Friday and Saturday. Siyempre may time naman dapat ‘yan ma-process, hindi naman agad mababayaran ‘yan,” she said.

However, Gordon noted that their contract states otherwise.

“Tingnan mo ‘yung contract: Basta may test result at may CIF (case investigation form), bayad kaagad ‘yun. It’s not complicated e,” he said.

“But Red Cross will continue to test for [those] magbabayad direkta and we will also continue to provide— ang tawag namin diyan, Good Samaritan. ‘Yung mga hindi makabayad, ililibre namin. Meron akong mga donor nagbigay P18 million. That’s only 5,000 tests. ‘Pag natapos ‘yan, wala na,” he added.

The Red Cross accounts for a significant number of COVID-19 tests conducted daily.

Out of nearly 40,000 tests performed each day, around 10,000 are done by the organization.

Some local government units that partnered with the Red Cross for COVID-19 testing, such as Navotas, rely on PhilHealth to cover the expenses.

“Hindi kakayanin. Sabihin lang nating sa 21,000 [tests] na nagawa namin, kung kami magbabayad niyan at P3,500, P73.5 million. So hindi kakayanin ‘yun ng LGU,” Mayor Toby Tiangco said. —Julia Mari Ornedo/LDF, GMA News