Kuwait: Some forty-five medical centers in the United States said the Kuwaiti government owed them a total of $677 million in unpaid medical bills, the Washington Post reported.
Medical expenses relate to remedies obtained through thousands of cancer, cardiac and pediatric patients in Kuwait.
Medical centers gathered to look for arrears in payments. In July, medical centers approached a Massachusetts congressman, Rep. Jim McGovern, after failing to budget with the help of the State Department before June.
The U.S. State Department said it had “raised this factor with the Kuwaiti government and had been running for a solution.”
Massachusetts hospitals, such as Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), account for a quarter of the total amount owed through the Kuwaiti government. This is not the first time U.S. hospitals have applied for bills for Kuwaiti patients.
In February 2019, The Anderson Cancer Centers in Houston, one of the hospitals that applied for payment, refused to receive Kuwaiti patients because they were waiting for overdue bills from the Department of Health.
In October 2018, about $450 million was requested through U.S. hospitals. By medical remedies obtained through Kuwaiti citizens, Al Jarida reported. The report revealed that the cash was intended for repairs between January 2017 and September 2018.
The government will pay patients to obtain a repair abroad with two conditions: they are Kuwaiti citizens and no reparation can be obtained in Kuwait. Most patients seek a remedy in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.
According to the Washington Post report, Kuwaiti were the fourth largest number of patients in the United States, after Canada. China and Mexico.
Although many Kuwaiti people were also receiving remedies in Germany, in 2018 the Ministry of Health made the decision to avoid sending Kuwaiti patients to Germany, Al Rai reported.
In the past, the Kuwaiti government has continually asked the National Assembly to build its budget to pay for hospital expenses abroad. In 2016, a $1 billion budget was approved to pay for overdue processing costs.
Due to the economic difficulties of COVID-19, last month, the Cabinet approved a monetary reform plan, which provided for 50% relief in the number of citizens receiving medical remedy abroad.
The Kuwaiti government will pay its citizens to obtain medical care abroad. The circle of family members accompanying the patient is also covered and gets a monthly allowance.
Recently, the Ministry of Health monitored the recovery of 7.5 million Kuwaiti dinars from patients after receiving a medical remedy abroad, Al Qabas reported. The budget was res up in five years.
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