Miriam bill compels hospitals to reveal prices of services

MANILA, Philippines – Recognizing the right to choose one’s health care provider, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago filed Senate Bill No. 3292 compelling hospitals to reveal the prices of their services.

Santiago’s bill, also known as the “Hospital Price Disclosure Act,” requires both public and private hospitals to prominently post at their respective admission areas full disclosure of prices for medicine and hospital and surgical procedures.

“With several medical providers to choose from, patients need access to reliable and adequate information to make rational and economical choices,” Santiago said.

According to her, undisclosed rates of medical care hinder patients from choosing which hospital or health care provider offers good service for less cost.

“It has been common practice for hospitals not to reveal the costs a patient may incur unless he or she bills out. Because of this, the patient is often shocked at the expense he or she incurs staying in the hospital,” said the senator.

Santiago said the treatment of ailments and health conditions such as heart disease would not be possible with home remedies, and would necessitate professional medical care. 

“The power to choose which hospital to go to should be with the patient, especially in these times of global economic crisis,” she said. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Manuel Roxas II demanded that Tamiflu be included in the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) list submitted by the Department of Health (DOH) for President Arroyo’s approval.

He said the DOH is short of committing gross negligence by not acting decisively to bring down the price to a level that the public can afford. 

He argued that the DOH should move more aggressively to bring down the oppressive price of Tamiflu (generic name Oseltamivir) and other drugs against A(H1N1) in the market since this is the people’s only protection if a more virulent strain comes out in the future.

Roxas, a principal author of the Universally Accessible, Cheaper and Quality Medicine Act, also stressed that the government knows very well that Tamiflu is not patent-protected in the country, therefore there is no legal impediment to government or local pharmaceutical companies from producing it.

He noted that the price of Tamiflu has tripled since the virus claimed its first victim in the country.

Roxas recalled that local firm United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab) is able to manufacture a generic version of Tamiflu.