PhilHealth confirms adoption of point-of-service policy
LINGAYEN–The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has confirmed that all persons incapable of paying their health insurance are now covered by the Point-of-Service (POS) subsidized by the national government, no longer the old Point-of-Care (POC) program covered by Local Government Units (LGUs).
This was clarified by Rodolfo B. Del Rosario, Jr., officer-in-charge at the office of the Regional Vice President of PhilHealth Region 1 before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Monday.
The POS, in replacing the POC, grants equal access to quality health care benefits to people who are incapable of paying their health insurance premiums, Del Rosario, a lawyer, said.
He explained that unlike POC that depends on LGUs discretion on who could avail of health services, POS facilitates the availment of benefit at point-of-service for all indigents.
Del Rosario said POC requires LGUs to conduct financial assessment of would-be enrollees before it decides to cover their premiums, while POS simply uses DOH’s protocol that will directly grant the benefit to persons incapable of paying health services.
PhilHealth has suspended the implementation of POC starting July 1 this year.
Del Rosario cited the General Appropriations Act of 2017 which allocated P3 billion to set the POS into motion. Under the program, financially-challenged individuals will be granted PhilHealth coverage once they pass the DOH classification on indigency.
In this scheme, PhilHealth will bill the DBM, on a quarterly basis, the actual cost of the hospitalization and treatment of a patient is chargeable against the appropriated amount.
Provincial Health Officer Anna Maria Theresa De Guzman said 32,904 families were enrolled under POC in 2016 and which amounted to P77M. From January 2017 up to present, 16,159 were enrolled whose premiums totaled P38.7M, she added.
Meanwhile, Del Rosario said PhilHealth will allow the Pangasinan provincial government an extended period to effect the transition from POC TO POS. (Leonardo Micua)
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