DOH says zero balance billing policy won't cover traffic violators meeting accidents
Department of Health Sec. Ted Herbosa said road traffic violators who would meet accidents will not be covered by the agency's zero balance billing policy.
“If you are admitted because you are not wearing a helmet, you are not wearing a seatbelt, you were drinking, you are now disqualified from the zero balance bill,” Herbosa said during a joint press conference with Jean Todt, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, on Thursday, Sept. 11.
He clarified that it doesn't mean they won't give medical attention to such individuals. “We do not deny care, what we will do is bill them when they get discharged.”
Victims of road crashes are covered by the zero balance billing as usual.
"If they are admitted in any of our trauma centers and any of our DOH hospitals, they are covered by the zero balance, especially if the road crash is not their fault,” Herbosa said.
There's no specific date for the implementation of his announcement yet, but Herbosa noted that they'd “disseminate this to all the hospitals.”
The move came as part of the DOH's heightened road safety campaign.
Last May, the Philippine Statistics Authority said land transport accidents increased to 13,125 in 2023, the highest recorded in over a decade.
Such deaths accounted for 1.9% of nationwide deaths, with young adults aged 20 to 24 consistently having the highest number of deaths due to land transport accidents from 2010 to 2023.
Under the DOH's zero balance billing scheme, basic accommodations in DOH hospitals will be free of charge. As defined in Republic Act No. 11223, also known as the Universal Healthcare Law, basic accommodation refers to regular meals, a bed in a shared room, fan ventilation, and shared toilets and bathrooms.
The DOH stated that zero balance billing will be available at 87 hospitals under its agency.
Check out the list of DOH hospitals that offer zero balance billing.
