The Senate has passed on third and final reading a bill seeking to expand and enforce the ban on hospitals and medical facilities detaining patients, newborns or deceased remains over unpaid medical bills and professional fees.
Voting 18-0-1, senators approved Senate Bill No. 1511, authored and sponsored by Senator Risa Hontiveros. Senator Panfilo Lacson inhibited from voting due to a potential conflict of interest with a hospital in Cavite
Under the proposed measure, financially incapacitated patients are entitled to release upon executing a promissory note, which can be secured through property mortgages, co-makers, SSS or GSIS loan assignments or guarantee letters from agencies like the DSWD, DOH, or PCSO. The bill also mandates the immediate release of medical records and, in the case of deceased patients, death certificates needed for burial.
Facilities or officers violating the law face fines of up to P1 million, prison terms of up to six years and the possible revocation of their operating license after three offenses.
Hontiveros dispelled claims that the bill cancels medical debts or provides blanket tax write-offs for hospitals, clarifying that patients remain legally obligated to settle their accounts.
“The answer to unpaid medical debt cannot be to hold a patient, a newborn child, a family member or the remains of a loved one against their will,” Hontiveros said. “Debts can be paid, but the dignity and freedom of Filipinos should not be used as collateral… this is not simply a license to simply walk away from a debt.”