Gov’t has failed the Ilonggos

By Alex P. Vidal

“The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”—Ronald Reagan

THIS is a clear case where the government has failed to protect the interest of the taxpayers; in this case, the Ilonggos in Iloilo City and Western Visayas for that matter, who have been neglected by the country’s health authorities.

It’s tantamount to treachery and abandonment, to say the least.

Starting January 1, 2022, Ilonggos, who will be hospitalized, will be the ones to process their PhilHealth coverages and benefits after the heads of the Iloilo Directors’ Hospital, Iloilo Mission Hospital, Medicus Medical Center, Metro Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center Inc., St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo, The Medical City-Iloilo and Qualimed Hospital-Iloilo decided not to renew their accreditation with PhilHealth during a meeting on December 9, over unpaid reimbursement claims.

The patients will have to deal separately with the private hospitals, which will charge them the full amount of their admission and medical bills before they could get deductions as PhilHealth beneficiaries through their own initiatives.

Under the law, PhilHealth and beneficiaries have access to a comprehensive package of services, including inpatient care, catastrophic coverage, ambulatory surgeries, deliveries, and outpatient treatment for malaria and tuberculosis.

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Accredited hospitals make it easier for patient beneficiaries by directly processing the deductions with PhilHealth. It’s no longer the case for the seven Iloilo City hospitals starting January 1.

The hospitals claimed that a reconciliation process initiated by PhilHealth last Oct. 8 resulted only in the payment of 15 to 20 percent of the account receivables, which has reached the “staggering” P545,094,532.45 as of Aug. 31, 2021.

With the pandemic and terrible financial woes the Ilonggos have been facing, the PhilHealth’s latest bungling that will now compel PhilHealth members to apply for reimbursement themselves directly with the state insurer or pay their medical bills out of their own pockets, has added insult to their injury.

It’s a shame and hard to accept when the government has failed its people.

When we realized that PhilHealth’s disastrous relationship with the private hospitals could have been prevented in the first place, the pain and frustration become double.

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul sent me an e-mail, which she also probably sent to other New Yorkers, regarding the state’s fight against COVID-19 and the Omicron Variant:

Alex, If you’ve been tracking the COVID-19 numbers, we are confronting a winter surge.

Hospitalizations and positivity rates are on the rise, we’re seeing reduced hospital bed capacity, and vaccinations are lower than we’d like to see in certain areas of the state.

That’s why on Friday, I announced a temporary requirement for businesses to require either proof of vaccination or mask-wearing indoors. The requirement starts Monday and lasts through January 15, when we will reevaluate based on current conditions.

As Governor, my two top priorities are to protect the health of New Yorkers and to protect the health of our economy.

These temporary measures will help accomplish this through the holiday season.

We shouldn’t have reached this point, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers’ frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet.

I want to thank the more than 80% of adult New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated. If others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary.

We must take action. I’m confident we can do this.

AN UPDATE ON OMICRON. While there have been new cases of the omicron variant found in New York State, the dominant strain we’re seeing is still the delta variant. We have the tools that work against COVID and its variants. Protect yourself and get vaccinated, get boosted, and wear a mask.

CELEBRATE GETTING BOOSTED WITH THE ROCKETTES. What better way to celebrate the holidays in New York than with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular? The first 50 people who get their booster at one of five New York vaccine locations will get two free tickets to see the Rockettes at Radio City.

NEW STATE-RUN VACCINATION SITES. We are opening nine new vaccination sites to bring the vaccine closer to New Yorkers across the state. In coordination with local public health departments, sites are opening in Allegany, Broome, Clinton, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Fulton, Suffolk, and Yates Counties.

THIS WEEK’S COVID TRENDS. As of December 10, 2021, 3,603 New Yorkers are hospitalized with COVID-19. Our 7-day percentage positivity average was 4.58%, which is down from 4.85% last week. There were 51.13 cases per 100,000 people statewide.

Per the CDC as of December 11, 2021, 93.1% of adult New Yorkers have at least one vaccine dose. So far, 31,186,056 total vaccine doses have been administered, and 139,505 doses were administered over the past 24 hours.

QUESTION: I am fully vaccinated with Moderna. Can I receive a Pfizer booster? (Carmen, Dutchess County)

ANSWER: Eligible New Yorkers can receive any of the FDA-approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines for their booster dose, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Janssen/Johnson & Johnson. If you have questions, talk to your primary health care provider or vaccine administrator.

To the more than 80% of adult New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated: Thank you. Let’s get more New Yorkers vaccinated this week and beyond we can all put this pandemic in the rear-view mirror. Ever Upward, Governor Kathy Hochul.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)