The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) today announced that coverage for hemodialysis is now expanded from 45 to 90 sessions per year in order to help lessen the financial burden of its members undergoing the said treatment.
The PhilHealth Board of Directors approved the expansion due to the growing incidence of kidney diseases in the country and to respond to the increasing clamor from different stakeholders to increase PhilHealth coverage for hemodialysis.
“Based on a series of consultative meetings and dialogues with our stakeholders, our current coverage of P 4,000 for hemodialysis is more than enough to cover the treatment cost per session, thus, we are adjusting the case rate amount to P 2,500.00 per session but extending the number of sessions per year,” said PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander A. Padilla.
Padilla also explained that the reduction in the package amount will extend the members’ accessibility to the treatment of up to 90 sessions per year instead of the current maximum allowable sessions of 45 per year. “We want to assure our members that this adjustment will not in any way affect the quality of care being provided by our accredited facilities,” Padilla added.
With this new development, PhilHealth members including their qualified dependents undergoing dialysis treatment are ensured of longer sessions in a year thereby reducing out-of-pocket expenses to achieve better health outcomes. The adjusted PhilHealth coverage of P 2,500.00 per session includes payment for facilities and professional fees of attending physicians.
PhilHealth records show that in 2014, hemodialysis posted the most number of filed claims among procedures at 691,489, with total benefit payments amounting to P 4,666,806,642.
PhilHealth members can avail themselves of the benefit package at any of its accredited Free Standing Dialysis Centers and hospitals nationwide. (END)
The PhilHealth Logo, Photographs and information on this Web Site may not be reproduced, copied, or downloaded in any form or by any means -- graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including recording, taping, photocopying, or information storage and retrieval systems -- for use in illegal, damaging or pornographic material.
But PhilHealth information may be used for educational or informative purposes and may be reproduced, copied, or downloaded without the written permission from PhilHealth.