Patient Expresses Frutration After PhilHealth Covers Only P5,460 of His P122k Hospital Bill Despite Years of Contribution
A male patient was left disheartened after learning that PhilHealth only covered P5,460 of his P122,787 hospital bill, despite having been a member and contributor for many years.
Recently, Bataga Eric, a Facebook user, shared his disappointment over the small amount that PhilHealth deducted from his total hospital expenses. The post quickly went viral and drew various reactions from the online community.
Eric explained that he had been confined for five days at a private hospital in Quezon City after suffering from a high fever suspected to be dengue.
Bataga said that his company’s HMO shouldered a big part of the expenses, but he still expected PhilHealth to make a meaningful contribution, considering the years he had been paying his monthly deductions.
However, the small amount reflected in his hospital bill left him shocked and frustrated. He described the experience as disheartening, saying that he had always believed PhilHealth would serve as a safety net during times of illness.
Instead, he felt shortchanged after realizing how little assistance he received compared to what he had contributed through the years.
Many netizens shared similar frustrations about the country’s healthcare system. Some expressed disappointment that PhilHealth’s support often falls short, especially for patients seeking treatment in private hospitals where costs are higher.
As of this writing, Eric said he remains thankful for the help of his employer’s HMO, but the experience left him questioning where members’ contributions really go and whether the system is still serving its purpose.
In a previous report, a 22-year-old fresh graduate shocked by P22,000 PhilHealth debt
Here is the full post:
“Honestly, I can’t even remember how long I’ve been a PhilHealth member. Parang forever (dito ko pala sya mahahanap) na buwan-buwan may kaltas sa sahod, tahimik lang akong nagbabayad. Actually now ko lang naisipan i-check magkano monthly ko. I never questioned it. I thought, okay lang ‘yan, at least may security ako someday kapag nagkasakit ako.
Well… that “someday” finally came this week.
Na-admit ako sa St. Luke’s dahil sa high-grade fever na akala ng doctors ay dengue. I stayed there for five days — tests, treatment, confinement, lahat. Buti na lang may HMO benefit ang company namin, kaya malaking tulong ‘yon. Still, I was hopeful na kahit papano, may ambag si PhilHealth sa bill. After all, matagal na akong nagbabayad faithfully, di ba?
Pero ayun na nga — out of a ₱122,787 hospital bill, ₱5,460 lang ang sinagot ng PhilHealth.
₱5,460. Sayang, konti na lang 5% na. Partida, sabi sa billing, tumaas na nga daw yan ng 50%! Eh di WOW!
Grabe, parang ang sakit. I wanted to crawl back sa hospital bed. You spend years contributing, believing that this system will have your back when you need it most… only to realize na halos wala pala talaga. Nakakainis, nakakafrustrate, at nakakadismaya.
You start to wonder — saan napupunta lahat ng kontribusyon natin?
Bakit ganito kaliit ang nakukuha ng mga ordinaryong miyembro kapag sila na ang nangangailangan?
PhilHealth is supposed to be our safety net — a public trust built on the promise of healthcare for all. Pero sa totoo lang, mas mukha na siyang koleksyon agency kaysa sa tunay na tulong sa mamamayan.
We deserve better than this.
Kung buwan-buwan tayong nagbabayad, the least we deserve is a system that actually works when it matters most — hindi ‘yung loose change lang ang ibinabalik sa atin pagkatapos ng taon-taong tiwala.”
The social media users expressed their reactions to the post:
