The PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) Caloocan
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will abolish the single confinement policy by the end of September, its president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said on Tuesday.
He promised it during a joint hearing of the Senate committees on health and demography, and finance.
Under the single confinement policy, admission and readmission due to the same illness or procedure within 90 days shall only be compensated once.
Senator Christopher 鈥淏ong鈥� Go, chair of the health committee, said the policy is 鈥渋llogical.鈥�
鈥淗indi mo mapipigilan ang pneumonia, hindi mo mapipigilan ang bleeding kapag maselan 鈥榶ung pagbubuntis, hindi mo mapipigilan鈥攑asintabi lang po sa inyong kumakain dito鈥攌apag nagkadiarrhea tayo,鈥� he said.
(You can鈥檛 stop pneumonia, you can鈥檛 stop bleeding when the pregnancy is delicate, you can鈥檛 stop鈥攅xcuse me for those who are eating鈥攄iarrhea.)
鈥淏awal 鈥榶ung single confinement policy ninyo, kalokohan po 鈥榶an. Napaka kalokohan, illogical po iyan,鈥� he added.
(Your single confinement policy should be prohibited, it鈥檚 nonsense. It鈥檚 complete nonsense, it鈥檚 illogical.)
He then urged Ledesma to abolish the policy.
鈥淚 need your commitment dito sa removal of single confinement policy. Puwede ba natin marinig [na] tatangalin niyo 鈥榶ung single confinement policy?鈥� Go asked.
(I need your commitment here on the removal of the single confinement policy. Can we hear that you will abolish it?)
Ledesma replied: 鈥淲e commit before month end, Mr. Chair.鈥�
He also promised that an increase in the benefit packages would be implemented by the end of November, while dental benefits would be added to the packages before the end of December.
鈥淐ommitment 鈥榶an po,鈥� he added.
(That鈥檚 a commitment.)