Drilon welcomes PhilHealth’s move to cut cost of COVID-19 test package

Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon on Friday welcomed the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) decision to lower the price of its COVID-19 test package by 50 percent, but insisted the state health insurance agency should peg it at a much lower price.

Drilon said PhilHealth should peg the price from 18,150 to 13,500—the amount it pays to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) that has already conducted 45 percent of COVID-19 tests in the country as of today.

The PhilHealth scaled down the price of its COVID-19 test package from 18,150 to 14,210 after Drilon vehemently questioned the overpriced package as he expressed concerns over the potential loss of about 18.3-billion worth of taxpayers’ money.

PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales has said the state-run corporation is now in the process of reviewing its current benefit packages and will publish the new and lower test rates next week as soon as the review is completed.

“If COVID-19 tests could be done for as low as 13,500 as proven by Red Cross, which emerged as the lead testing center for COVID-19, then there is no justification for higher rates set by PhilHealth,” Drilon said in a statement.

“This is a victory for better governance and anti-corruption drive. Our triumph has proven that our collective voice is stronger than ever.” Drilon stressed.

The minority leader further said the issue should serve as a lesson to PhilHealth and the government in general: “We are watching you.”

Still, Drilon said Philhealth should consider bringing down the cost from 14,210 to 13,500, “or perhaps even lower.”

“I have heard that some institutions can do it at as low as 12,000,” he added.

It was Drilon who, during a Senate committee of the whole hearing on the government’s COVID-19 response, who earlier urged the PhilHealth to review its COVID-19 package which he perceived to be overpriced.

Drilon described the alleged overpricing as “a total waste and abuse of taxpayers’ money.”

“Upon a thorough review and a careful analysis of the market costs of the materials used for COVID-19 test, I believe the standard price of COVID-19 test in the country should be at 13,500. Why not use Red Cross rates as benchmark and reduce the rates for another 1700,” Drilon stressed.

Drilon said the test kit for COVID19 could be purchased for as low as $15 or 1750.00.