PhilHealth: Patients admitted in tents entitled to COVID-19 packages

The Philippine Heath Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) assured on Friday that persons admitted in accredited tents of hospitals are covered by the in-patient COVID-19 packages if the services given them are part of the in-patient care.

“PhilHealth guarantees that COVID-19 patients are entitled to health insurance coverage for RT-PCR tests, isolation in accredited community isolation units and hospitalization for mild to critical cases of COVID-19,” PhilHealth president Dante Gierran said in a statement.

Gierran reiterated the clarification of Nerissa Santiago, chief operating officer, in a recent congressional hearing that “if the services given to patients in tents were part of in-patient care, then these should be covered by the current in-patient COVID-19 packages of the program, as opposed to stays in non-accredited Community Isolation Unit tents which are not compensable under existing rules.”

The spike in COVID-19 cases the past few weeks have started to overwhelm several hospitals, forcing some to put up isolation tents for some of their patients.

In a congressional hearing early this week, Bayan Muna party-list Representatve Ferdinand Gaite bared some patients staying in the tents were being charged P1,000 per hour.

PhilHealth said it would investigate the matter.

“Be it COVID-19 or not, patients should be afforded with all the financial help as guaranteed by the Universal Health Care Law,” Gierran said.

He added PhilHealth s reviewing its policies to respond to the demands of the pandemic.

“Enhanced guidelines will be issued soonest to ensure that adequate financial protection is duly provided to the patients without compromising quality of care,” the official added.—LDF, GMA News