THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has been told to expand its Covid-19 Home Isolation Benefit Packages (CHIBP) to include free reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said PhilHealth currently covers free testing but only among patients who are symptomatic and are currently confined in public or private hospitals.
“We’re also pushing PhilHealth to increase the packages for home treatment. Those who are treating themselves at home can also be covered by PhilHealth. The PhilHealth package will also include RT-PCR,” he said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel’s Headstart.
RT-PCR testing is considered the gold standard in detecting the virus that causes Covid-19.
Currently, the CHIBP is available to patients who passed both clinical and social criteria in surge areas declared by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Services under the package include home consultations for a minimum of 10 days, 24/7 daily monitoring of patients through teleconsultation, and provision of a home isolation kit which contains: 1L 70 percent alcohol, five pieces face mask, 1 thermometer, 1 pulse oximeter, drugs and medicines (18 pieces Paracetamol, 12 pieces Lagundi tablets or equivalent, six sachets oral rehydration salts, 10 pieces Ascorbic Acid, 10 pieces Vitamin D and zinc), and a consent form.
CHIBP providers may refer patients to higher-level facilities should they experience deterioration during home isolation. However, if the patient expires during home isolation, the facility can still file a claim.
The DOH has set at PHP960 the price cap for rapid antigen testing.
