Negros Occidental Gets Highest PhilHealth Reimbursement in WV at P1 billion

Bacolod City (PNA) — From January to June this year, the Province of Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, obtained the highest reimbursement from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) in Western Visayas at P1 billion.

This was disclosed by Lourdes Diocson, vice president of PhilHealth Region 6, who said that of the almost P2.5 billion total PhilHealth reimbursement obtained by various entities in Western Visayas, about 40 percent went to Negros Occidental.

The province’s PhilHealth reimbursement is expected to be higher and even more than double for the remaining half of the year, Diocson added.

PhilHealth Region 6 records showed that Iloilo Province, including Iloilo City, ranked second with P793 million. It is followed by Capiz, P284 million; Aklan, P215 million; Antique, P144 million; and Guimaras, P56 million reimbursement.

Of the P1 billion reimbursement for Negros Occidental, P200 million or 20 percent were reimbursed for PhilHealth member-patients of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH).

Diocson said that the higher PhilHealth reimbursement of the province is due to its large coverage population.

The agency’s data further showed that of the 7.5 million estimated census population of Western Visayas where 6.9 million or 92 percent is already covered by PhilHealth, Negros Occidental has the biggest slice, with 2.8 million current members and dependents.

The province has 90 percent coverage rate from its estimated census population of three million, it added.

Iloilo Province again ranked second highest in terms of PhilHealth coverage with 2.2 million or 94 percent of its estimated population of 2.4 million.

Capiz has 752,000 current PhilHealth members and dependents; Aklan,560,000; Antique,519,000; and Guimaras, 172,000. (PNA)CTB/NLG/EPN