Manila: The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is committed to accelerating primary care expansion and reinforcing financial protection through the No Balance Billing (NBB) policy nationwide under a unified strategic format with the Department of Health (DOH).
According to Philippines News Agency, PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Beverly Ho, in a recent press briefing, emphasized the shared mandate known as the Unified National Agenda (UNA). This initiative is designed to improve health outcomes, increase access to healthcare facilities, and broaden benefit packages for all Filipinos. Ho highlighted the importance of building on previous achievements and focusing on effective execution, addressing feedback, and overcoming challenges to enhance access for members, physicians, and providers.
When discussing the insurer's priorities, Ho introduced a five-pillar shared agenda with the DOH. The agenda aims to bring primary care to schools and workplaces, integrate public health programs into primary care, expand NBB to alleviate concerns over hospital costs, streamline processes through a unified IT system, and strengthen the organization by empowering health workers with fair compensation and greater responsibilities.
Regarding benefits for children with developmental disabilities, PhilHealth plans to enhance the benefit package and increase therapy sessions. The implementation is expected within the year, following a revalidation of the original costing from 2017 with healthcare professionals to ensure adequate rates.
PhilHealth is collaborating with the Department of Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to streamline referral pathways and facilitate therapy sessions in select schools. Furthermore, to improve public access to essential medicines, 21 medicines currently under the YAKAP program will be transferred to the GAMOT program, integrating them into the annual twenty-thousand-peso benefit for outpatient treatment.
Addressing concerns about value for paying contributors, Ho stressed the importance of preventing benefit increases from causing price inflation in healthcare facilities. PhilHealth plans to work closely with medical providers to ensure members receive tangible value from their contributions, fostering consistent participation across the board.
