PhilHealth owes Red Cross P623M over COVID-19 testing —Gordon

State-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) owes the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) some P623 million as of December 1 for COVID-19 testing, according to Senator Richard Gordon on Wednesday.

In a television interview, Gordon, who chairs the PRC, said they are consuming about P25 million per day for COVID-19 testing.

“It’s really non-payment of bills on time that is killing us here, because they owe us now, as of December 1, P623 million,” Gordon told ANC.

“The Red Cross cannot just grin and bear it. We don’t want to stop but if we’re not paid then we will have to scale down our operation or maybe close down of some of our laboratories,” he added.

Gordon also said PhilHealth is not complying with the agreement that it would pay within three days after being billed.

“Our agreement is that PhilHealth pays three days after being billed; they are now taking nine and up to 12 days,” he said.

“I really worry for the hospitals. If they don’t pay us so we are forced to stop.”

In early October, the PRC stopped conducting COVID-19 tests chargeable to PhilHealth due to the state health insurer’s inability to settle its outstanding balance, then at P930,993,000.

It resumed testing weeks later after PhilHealth settled a portion of the balance.

According to Gordon, at least 37% of COVID-19 testing in Metro Manila are done by the PRC.

“We are not a bottomless pit, we have responsibilities. Nasa konsensya na lang nila yan kung nahihirapan ang tao,” he said. --KBK, GMA News