“TS WN 2014

Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
‘Second Regular Session

4666

HOUSE BILL NO. __3*

Introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Patients in public or private hospitals or medical centers reflect various social and
economic classes.

This ever marked increase in patients seeking confinement for various ailments or
diseases effectively removed class options on the type of room of choice and in fact effectively
equalized opportunity to said amenities. However, the hospital bills charged on patients are
actually computed based on the patient's room rate thus resulting in patients having to pay
higher hospital bills in accordance with the higher room rates they have so chosen, o absent
any possible choice, to which available rooms they have been confined for both expediency and
availability. It cannot be denied that most private hospitals enjoy 100% occupancy rate, hence
the resulting situation not beneficial to the poor and needy patient types. And yet, strictly,
human capital in terms of those who in their productive lives contributed to society ought to
enjoy a level of social equity, and access to hospitalization is one of them.

The situation is worse in most private hospitals or medical centers than in their public
counterparts and understandably so because it is logically expected that public hospitals charge
much lower rates of fees, charges, or prices of drugs or medicines. And since congestion in
public hospitals is contributory to the increasing number of patients seeking hospitalization and
confinement in private hospitals and medical centers, it is only expected that government
exercises certain regulatory powers to help patients who can ill-afford the costs of private
hospitals and medical centers.

Thus, to this end, the bill contemplates that patients in private hospitals or medical
centers shall only be charged with a uniform price spectrum for various hospital bills (i.e.

the sad financial that patients might find themselves in. Buch patients deserve the care of
government in the overall delivery of health care in this cour

INSTON “WINNIE” CASTELO
+


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo

AN ACT
DISALLOWING HOSPITAL BILLS COMPUTED BASED ON ROOM RATE FOR
PATIENTS AVAILING OF ASSISTANCE FROM THE PHILIPPINE CHARITY AND
SWEEPSTAKES OFFICE THEREBY PRESCRIBING A UNIFORM BILLING SPECTRUM
ON NEEDY PATIENTS FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Poor Patients’ Equity Act of 2014”.

SEC. 2, It is hereby disallowed of private hospitals and medical centers to compute
hospital bills of a poor and needy patient based on the room rate that person occupied or is
confined to especially for the purpose of availing assistance from the Philippine Charity and
‘Sweepstakes Office thereby prescribing a uniform billing spectrum for this purpose.

SEC. 3. There shall be a Code of Practice as will be formulated by the Department of
Health to effectively carry out the intent of this Act prescribing a uniform billing spectrum in
cases of patients availing of assistance from the Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office.

SEC, 4. Henceforth, hospital bills computed based on room rate for subject patients
shall be waived as if the patients only availed of the cheapest costs of hospitalization and
treatment by the concerned private hospital or medical center and such fees, charges, or costs
shall not be reflected in the patient's statement of account.

SEC. 5. This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days upon its approval and publication in
the Official Gazette and in at least three (3) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,