Senator Christopher “Bong” Go urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth)to review a viral case involving a deceased member whose family reportedly failed to receive benefits after his death.
Go said PhilHealth must determine whether Marvin Sulit should have qualified for emergency care benefits and whether lapses in implementation, processing or communication prevented the family from receiving assistance.
The issue stemmed from a Facebook post by Maria Lourdes Sulit, who recounted the death of her husband from a brain hematoma and the family’s struggle with mounting hospital expenses.
She alleged that PhilHealth benefits were not applied because her husband’s confinement lasted less than 24 hours. The claims remain subject to verification by PhilHealth and the hospitals involved.
“My condolences to the Sulit family. Their story is both heartbreaking and alarming. It is important to determine the full truth and understand why PhilHealth reportedly did not cover their medical bills,” Go said.
The senator noted that PhilHealth had already removed the 24-hour confinement requirement for emergency outpatient cases and said any continued application of the old policy would be unacceptable.
“If an outdated policy is still being enforced despite having been repealed, that is unacceptable. PhilHealth personnel, hospitals and patients should clearly understand the benefits available to them,” he said.
Go said reforms mean little if patients cannot access benefits during emergencies.
“It is not enough to have reforms on paper. People must know about them, hospitals must understand them, and they must be implemented properly,” he said.
