Doctor stops accepting HMO after 18-month delay in ₱300 consultation payout

Delayed HMO reimbursements take a heavy toll on Filipino doctors and health practitioners.

Many Filipinos rely on health maintenance organizations to help cover medical expenses, but some doctors say long reimbursement delays are forcing them to turn away HMO patients.

Among them is Dr. Tin Verzosa of Velasco Verzosa Pediatric Clinic in Parañaque.

In a June 10 Facebook post, Verzosa shared a timeline of a December 2024 consultation that was processed in July 2025 and paid out in June 2026. It was a process that took about a year and a half.

The HMO covered ₱300, leaving her with ₱270 after tax deductions.

“I understand that there is a process in everything pero naman, anong petsa na???” Verzosa wrote. “I am not complaining just because pera pera lang. Alam ng mga patients ko yan.“

Verzosa said she’s doing her profession “with humility and integrity,” but her experience shows that healthcare professionals “are really being taken for granted in our country.”

Fellow healthcare professionals echoed her sentiments, saying delayed reimbursements and administrative burdens make them feel like “milking cows”—pushing some physicians away from HMO accreditation altogether.

Many private physicians and small clinics operate as independent practices, meaning they continue paying rent, utilities, staff salaries, taxes, and other operating expenses—whether reimbursements arrive or not.

Healthcare groups and doctors have long warned that prolonged payment delays can discourage providers from accepting certain HMOs—or from maintaining accreditation at all.