CEBU CITY – The Regional Development Council (RDC) has urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to amend its guidelines for the Type Z Benefit Package, particularly for early-stage breast cancer patients.
The package is being offered to PhilHealth members to address
health conditions that trigger prolonged hospitalization and very expensive
treatments.
Evelyn Castro, chairperson of the RDC's Social Development
Committee, said they have passed and endorsed a resolution for PhilHealth to
consider their request.
Castro explained that under the current PhilHealth guidelines, the
package rate for early-stage breast cancer is only P100,000 for the entire
course of treatment. The first tranche of P75,000 is given to the patient
within 60 days after being discharged from surgery, and the second tranche of
P25,000 is given within 60 days upon completion of the last cycle of
chemotherapy for Stage 1 to 3-A. “Thus, a patient who does not undergo
chemotherapy forfeits the second tranche payment,” she said.
Furthermore, she added, the guidelines also state that under
hormonotherapy treatment, only tamoxifen drug can be given to breast cancer patients.
"The RDC is seeking to amend the said guidelines to allow all early-stage
breast cancer patients to be afforded the entire benefit package," Castro
said.
She said the amendment aims to allow qualified patients to avail
themselves of the maximum benefit package of P100,000 by not making
chemotherapy a mandatory procedure, and by extending the filing schedule for
tranche 2 claims of Stage 0 patients to other early breast cancer patients who
do not need chemotherapy.
The RDC endorsement also recommended including aromatase inhibitor
as an alternative drug for hormone therapy. (Carlo Lorenzana)
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