Bill wants full coverage of doctor’s fees

A BILL mandating the Department of Health’s (DoH) indigent medical aid program to cover the doctor’s fees within its healthcare package was filed at the House of Representatives on Feb. 4.

House Bill No. 11415, filed by Party-list Representative Jose J. Teves, Jr., aims to cover the full professional fees of doctors from both private and public hospitals and clinics for medical services.

“This measure seeks to mandate the inclusion of professional or doctor’s fees, without any limitation to the approved amount… to help attain the ‘zero billing’ goal of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.,” the bill’s introductory note stated.

The DoH’s so-called Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program provides indigent patients with financial aid to pay off their medical bills.

It currently covers medicines, bloodwork, laboratory procedures, and all hospital bills of indigent Filipinos, but caps the coverage for professional fees at 50% of the “approved amount of medical assistance,” according to a DoH administrative order.

“Many indigents and financially incapacitated Filipinos still carry the burden of paying excessive hospital bills notwithstanding the payment of professional or doctor’s fees,” the bill stated.

All doctors are required to accept guarantee letters from DoH’s MAIFIP. Refusal could lead to a P100,000 fine for the first offense and could result in the revocation of a medical license for repeat offenses. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio