'60% of Pinoy families cannot pay P10,000 hospital bill'

Six out of 10 Filipino households cannot cover a P10,000 hospital bill, forcing them to prioritize saving money for health emergencies, according to a study of over 1,500 families nationwide by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

- By JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

These families, BCG found out, are forced to borrow money or use a health maintenance organization (HMO) membership to cover their hospital bills.

The study titled The Filipino Family showed that fewer Filipino families can outright cover their hospital costs as the bill increases. Only nine percent of Filipino families can cover a hospital bill of up to P25,000, to P50,000 and P100,000.

Only six percent of households can shoulder outright a hospital bill of up to P300,000 while only four percent can pay more than P300,000 in health costs, according to to the study.