PACC lists alleged corrupt practices in PhilHealth

The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) on Friday gave a summary of the alleged anomalies in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

PACC Chairperson Dante Jimenez said the allegations being looked into by the commission included ghost patients, fake receipts, admission beyond bed capacity, “upcasing” of claims, fake members, and laxity in premium collection.

He also said that they received information in March last year that PhilHealth lost P153.7 billion in five years (2013 to 2019) due to failed policies, fraud and other anomalies.

“As can be gleaned from the Senate investigations, it appears that corruption has been systemic from top to the bottom of the PhilHealth leadership and management,” Jimenez said in an online briefing.

Jimenez said the PACC had recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte as early as November 2019 that all regular members of PhilHealth Board be replaced. Last week, PhilHealth said more than 40 senior officials left their posts to give way for a reorganization of the scandal-plagued agency.

The PACC said it is also coordinating with the Department of Justice in the investigation of alleged overpriced COVID-19 testing packages, release of Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) funds, questionable IT projects and common stock investment scam.

Jimenez said the PACC will also coordinate with agencies such as the Anti-Money Laundering Council for the conduct of lifestyle checks on PhilHealth officials and employees.

Duterte earlier ordered the filing of charges against former PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales and other officials linked by an inter-agency task force to irregularities in the IRM, procurement of ICT equipment, and policy for accountability.

Smaller teams with members from different government agencies are still pursuing investigations specifically into PhilHealth's legal and IT sectors and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra recently said that more people may be implicated as a result.—LDF, GMA News