Senators are calling on the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to investigate a complaint involving alleged hospital deposit requirements and the denial of benefits in a patient death case.
The appeal from Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito and Christopher “Bong” Go follows the Facebook post of Maria Lourdes Sulit, who said her husband died of brain hematoma on June 4 after allegedly being unable to receive timely treatment due to a required P1 million deposit prior to hospital admission. She also claimed a previous hospital quoted up to P4 million for surgery and advised transfer to another facility if payment could not be made.
Sulit said her husband, a long-time PhilHealth member, was later denied benefits on the grounds that he had been confined for less than 24 hours. She described the situation as devastating, saying their family was unable to immediately raise the required funds as her husband’s condition worsened.
Ejercito said the case may involve violations of the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law, which prohibits hospitals from requiring advance payments in emergency cases. He urged the DOH to examine whether proper protocols were followed and whether PhilHealth coverage rules were correctly implemented.
Go also called for clarification from PhilHealth, stressing the need to explain why coverage was denied and to ensure consistency in the implementation of benefit policies, particularly following the agency’s move to remove its previous 24-hour confinement requirement for emergency care claims.
Both senators urged the DOH and PhilHealth to act swiftly on the complaint, warning that gaps in hospital policy enforcement and benefit coverage must be addressed to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.