PhilHealth: Billing talks welcome

A PhilHealth official on Saturday said they are open to talking with the group Dialysis Coalition of the Philippines Inc. (DCPI) to address “concerns” about the no-balance billing system.

In a Viber message to DAILY TRIBUNE, PhilHealth acting vice president Rey Tomas Baleña said they will hold a dialogue with DCPI on the third week of July.

This after DCPI expressed concerns about PhilHealth Circular 2024-0014 which sets the reimbursement rate for each dialysis session at P4,000 and prohibits additional charges to patients under the “No Balance Billing” system.

The DCPI argued that the P4,000 rate didn’t cover all the expenses associated with hemodialysis (HD) treatment, including essential medications and tests. They initially proposed a rate of P5,200.

P4-K package rate

Baleña, however, clarified that they consulted their providers and even used data from them to come up with the cost of essential services due to HD patients.

“These have been the basis in the determination of the package rate of P4,000,” Baleña said.

The PhilHealth official explained that the items added to the standard services covered were not required for every dialysis session.