Here’s PhilHealth timeline for expected benefit expansion until 2028 - Rappler

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PHILHEALTH. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation members process transactions at the PhilHealth National Capital Region Central Branch in Quezon City on September 26, 2023.

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MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has a plan to expand various benefit packages until 2028, Bataan 2nd District Representative Albert Garcia said on Thursday, September 24. 

Garcia laid out the “roadmap,” which seeks to lower out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, as he was the sponsor of the Department of Health and PhilHealth during the House plenary deliberations on their proposed 2027 budget.

The rollout of enhanced benefits is based on health conditions with the highest disease burden and financial risk for Filipino patients, according to Garcia.

The announcement of the planned schedule came even as the state health insurer continued to flag its budget shortfall for next year.

Under the 2027 National Expenditure Program, the government will be giving P74.4 billion to PhilHealth. It is lower than the P129.78-billion allocation in the 2026 General Appropriations Act. 

Health officials are seeking from lawmakers an additional P170 billion in funding to fully implement the benefit expansion, as well as cover projected insurance claims of indirect contributors, or those whose premiums are subsidized by the government.

PhilHealth broadened its coverage for maternity benefits and for moderate to severe leptospirosis during the second quarter of this year.

Current benefits are listed on PhilHealth’s website.