PhilHealth remits P25-M claims to Mt. Province hospitals in 2007
by Juliet Saley
BONTOC, Mt. Province (9 February) -- The Philhealth office has remitted last year a total amount of P25,951,144.52 claims to the different hospitals of Mt. Province. This was reported by Philhealth-CAR representative Dr. Dominga Gadgad during the Provincial Health Board meeting last month.
Biggest share of the total amount went to Bontoc General Hospital with the P14,617,270.60 followed by Luis Hora Memorial Regional Hospital of Abatan, Bauko with P7,296,109.40.
The Besao District Hospital had a total claim of P2,034,933.82; St. Theodore's of Sagada, P967,484.40; Paracelis District Hospital, P755,186.00; Barlig District Hospital, P260,963.45; Natonin Community Hospital, P12,196.85; and Tadian Municipal Health Office, P7,000.00.
Based on the report presented by Philhealth-CAR representative Lily Linggon, there are 11,374 discharged patients reported by the seven hospitals but only 7,021 are Philhealth members. The other 4,353 are non-Philhealth members.
Bontoc General Hospital has the highest number of discharged patients who are non-Philhealth members with 1,964 followed by the LHMRH with 1,196; Paracelis District Hospital has 572; Besao District Hospital with 277; St. Theodores Hospital with 132; Natonin Community Hospital with 144 and Barlig District Hospital with 68.
Linggon also reported that there are 21,114 Philhealth registered members in the province out of the 2007 projected household of 32,770.
Of the total household, there are 17,917 indigent families. With the implementation of the Health Insurance Program for Indigent Families in the province, a total of 8,406 were enrolled as Philhealth members.
Under the Health Insurance Program for Indigent Families, the premium contribution subsidy for the indigent families is shared by the national government and the local government units.
As reported by Gov. Maximo B. Dalog in his latest State of the Province Address, the province has provided its Philhealth counterpart to 2,000 families in addition to 2,894 families in partnership with the municipal governments.
With still 9,511 indigent families as non-Philhealth members, Dalog said the province should come up with a scheme to increase enrollment in Philhealth coverage. The province proposes a scheme wherein 50 percent of the monthly fees be paid by enrollees and the other 50 percent will be shouldered by the government.
The province also plans to enroll all pregnant women in Philhealth to insure them of their medical and hospital services, Dalog said. "Self help is a better alternative rather than no membership at all," he added.
Other reports presented by Philhealth representatives are the planned activities for this year which include the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with cooperatives to collect Philhealth premium of Individual Paying Members; to request hospitals to encourage non-Philhealth patients to enroll; to conduct mapping of employers; and to synchronize effectivity dates for the sponsored program. (PIA MP) [top]
