CoA probing P20M insurance claims from dead

STATE auditors are investigating about 2,000 claims worth more than P20 million made by supposedly dead members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) this year.

“The immediate conclusion would be they were fraudulent claims,” Commission on Audit Chairman Michael G. Aguinaldo told a Senate hearing on Thursday night. “You can’t come to this conclusion immediately because these treatments could be right before the person died,” he added.

Investigators also need to know when the supposed expense was incurred, Mr. Aguinaldo said.

CoA data show that 1,708 claims were made by 961 PhilHealth members from Jan. 3 to June 29 this year.

Valid claims can be made by the dependents of dead PhilHealth members, PhilHealth Senior Vice President Rodolfo B. Del Rosario, Jr. told senators. — Gillian M. Cortez