Lapid refiles measure on anti-hospital bill shock
Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid on Thursday renewed his push for the passage of the bill seeking to enhance the patients’ right to medical expense transparency saying it is one of his top priority measures in the 19thCongress.
The bill primarily aims to allow patients to make fully informed decisions about the quality of healthcare that they want and need by giving them access to information such as price and quality of a service in advance.
Lapid said the bill will help patients to choose the healthcare that is best suited for them. The measure also compels hospitals and healthcare providers to be more transparent in informing patients about the actual prices of their services, to prevent unexpected out-of-pocket costs for items or services before they receive care.
"Sa pagpasok ng bagong Kongreso, isa pa rin sa ating prayoridad na isinusulong ang pagkakaroon ng akses ng ating mga kababayan sa dekalidad at abot-kayang pagpapagamot at check-up upang sila ay makaiwas sa mga ‘surprise billing’ (In the new Congress, we will prioritize the passage of the bill giving our people accessto quality and affordable meidcla care and check up so they can avoid being surprised by hospital bills),” Lapid said in a statement.
“Muli po nating hinihiling na isapubliko ng mga ospital at healthcare providers ang presyo ng kanilang mga serbisyo upang makapili ng maayos ang ating mga kababayan kung saan sila magpapagamot at nang hindi sila masusurpresa sa bayarin (Once more, we ask hospitals and healthcare providers to publicise the cost of their services so our people would know where to seek medical help and they won’t be surprised by the cost of their medical bills)," Lapid said.
Lapid’s bill also seeks to eliminate unnecessary barriers to price and quality transparency. It also seeks to increase the availability of meaningful price and quality information to patients and enhance patient's control over their own healthcare resources, including health insurance coverage.
The bill also mandates the Department of Health (DOH) secretary to craft regulations requiring hospitals to publicly post standard charge information, including charges and information based on negotiated rates for common items and services that would be easily understood by the consumers.