HOUSENF RQ 2.2 SENTATIVES

RECEIVED
pare. § AUG 2016
Repubiic of the Philippine M
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
SEVENTEENTH CONGRASS NNT

First Regular Session BILLS AND Wf * <sRVICE

HOUSE BILL NO. 30 0

introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie”

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 resuiting in patients having to pay higher
hospital bills in accordance with the higher room rates they have so chosen, or absent any
possibie choice, to which avaiiabie 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 ives contributed to society ought to
f 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
ubiic hospitais 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 contempiates that patients in private hospitat§ or medical centers sha
only be charged with uniform price spectrum for various hospitaBills (i.e. doctor's fees, drugs,
medicines, x-rays, CT scan, and the like) and their statement of accounts be not based on the
room rate to which they have been confined especially so/when said patients are seeking
financial assistance from the Philippine Charity and Sweepsfakes Office. This way, it will help
the patients for one and the government for another to be aple to bail out the sad financial that
patients might find themselves in. Such patients deserve tife care of government in the overall
delivery of health care in this country, hence this urgent bill.



Repubiic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

‘SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
F tegular Session
03

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 AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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

SECTION i. This Act shall be known as the ‘Poor Patients Equity Act of 2016

SEC. 2. it is hereby disallowed of private hospitais 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 shali 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 spect
cases of patients availing of assistance from the Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office.

SEC. 4. Henceforth, hospital bilis computed based on room rate for subject patients
shall be waived as if the patients only availed of the cheapest costs of hospit and
treatment by the concerned private hospital or medical center and such fees, charges, or costs
shail 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,