MIRIAM HITS HOSPITALS FOR NON-DISCLOSURE OF PRICES
Recognizing the right to choose one’s health care provider, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago filed Senate Bill No. 3324 compelling hospitals to reveal the prices of their services.
Santiago’s bill, also known as the “Hospital Price Disclosure Act,” requires both public and private hospitals to prominently post at each admission site the full disclosure of prices for medicine, and hospital and surgical procedures.
“With several medical providers to choose from, patients need access to reliable and adequate information to make rational and economical choices,” Santiago said.
According to Santiago, undisclosed rates of medical care hinder patients from choosing which hospital or health care provider offers good service for less cost.
“It has been common practice for hospitals to not reveal the costs a patient may incur unless he or she bills out. Because of this, the patient is often shocked at the expense he or she incurs after staying in the hospital,” said the senator.
The senator said that the treatment of ailments and health conditions such as heart disease would not be possible with home remedies, and would necessitate professional medical care.
“The power to choose which hospital to go to should be with the patient especially in these times of global economic crisis,” Santiago said.
posted by MDS @ 10:57 AM
1 Comments
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1 Comments:
Will this be practical? It's not the same as publishing a menu in a restaurant, where people can choose what to order depending on the price and their budget! You cannot haggle or bargain with the prices of medical services in hospitals, the way you do in Divisoria or Blumentritt or other flea markets. Hospitals cannot just post the cost of their myriad services; at best, this bill - if it becomes a law - can be implemented to a limited extent, e.g., publishing of doctors' general consultancy fees, or dental fees for extracting dead teeth, BP check-up, etc. This will not even create lower-cost hospitals due to competition, because the medical industry is not largely dictated by the law of supply and demand. Miriam perhaps should push for a comprehensive insurance policy for every Filipino, instead of this tedious and ineffective bill.
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