Manila Bulletin
Drilon welcomes PhilHealth's move to cut cost of COVID-19 test package
PhilHealth has reduced its COVID-19 testing rate to P4,210, a move welcomed by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.
Drilon stated that PhilHealth should peg the price at P3,500, citing the rate paid to the Philippine Red Cross, which conducts a significant portion of COVID-19 tests.
PhilHealth president and CEO Ricardo Morales indicated that the new rate is part of an upcoming package and that the previous P8,150 rate reflected March testing capacity.
Drilon previously questioned the P8,150 package during a Senate hearing, highlighting that test kits cost significantly less, around P750 to P900.
He views the reduction as a victory for better governance and an anti-corruption drive, emphasizing vigilance against corrupt practices during the pandemic.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon welcomed PhilHealth's decision to lower its COVID-19 test package price by 50 percent, but insists the agency should peg it at a much lower rate.
Read more →
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is calling for a revamp of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) due to an alleged overpricing scandal involving its COVID-19 testing packages.
Read more →
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon warns PhilHealth of potential criminal liability due to alleged overpricing of COVID-19 test packages amounting to P8,150 per test.
Read more →
President Duterte has ordered an investigation into the alleged overpriced medical equipment and test kits purchased by the government for its COVID-19 response.
+1
Read more →
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque will forward the issue of alleged overpricing in PhilHealth's COVID-19 testing packages to the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP).
Read more →