SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Tuesday welcomed the latest expansion of the state-owned Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) benefit packages, describing it as a significant step forward in easing the daily struggles of Filipino families and making quality health care more accessible to those who need it most.
“This is a big win for ordinary Filipinos. Para sa mga kababayan nating matagal nang nabibigatan sa gastos sa gamutan—ito po ang resulta ng pagtutulungan ng Kongreso, ng PhilHealth, at ng buong pamahalaan,” Speaker Romualdez said.
The Speaker has consistently pushed for reforms in the national health insurance system to respond to the actual needs of patients and their families. He said the new PhilHealth benefits directly address long-standing concerns raised by the House of Representatives during hearings, consultations and dialogues with stakeholders.
Among the most urgent concerns addressed is dialysis support. PhilHealth has increased coverage for hemodialysis sessions from 90 to 156 per year, enough to sustain the recommended three treatments per week. More importantly, the reimbursement per session has been raised from ₱2,600 to ₱6,350—bringing total annual support for dialysis patients to nearly ₱1 million.
“Alam ko ang hirap ng pamilya kapag may pasyenteng nagda-dialysis—madalas, kailangan mamili kung magpapagamot o kakain. Ngayon, hindi na sila kailangang mamili,” Speaker Romualdez said.
Peritoneal dialysis benefits were also raised to ₱500,000 annually for adults and ₱1.2 million for children. Pediatric kidney transplants are now covered up to ₱2.1 million, while adult transplants will receive over ₱1 million in total coverage—including post-transplant care, lab tests and essential medicines.
“These are life-changing numbers. But more importantly, these are lifelines for families who have been praying for relief,” Speaker Romualdez said.
The Speaker also praised PhilHealth’s rollout of facility-based outpatient emergency care, a reform he pushed to make sure emergency room visits are covered even if the patient is not admitted. This addresses the common situation where patients are forced to leave the ER without treatment because they cannot afford the fees.
“Hindi na kailangang maghintay pa na lumala ang kalagayan para lang masabing may PhilHealth coverage. Lahat ng may emergency ay may karapatang matulungan,” Speaker Romualdez said.
On top of that, PhilHealth has expanded support for heart-related conditions—another advocacy point raised by the House. The benefit now includes ₱130,000 for non-surgical treatment of heart attacks, up to ₱530,000 for procedures like angioplasty, and coverage for cardiac rehabilitation and ambulance transport.
“Kapag puso ang may problema, dapat maagapan. Ang puso ay hindi puwedeng ipagpaliban,” the Speaker added.
Speaker Romualdez emphasized that these reforms are the result of months of close coordination between the House of Representatives, PhilHealth, and the Department of Health. He said this is what happens when government listens and acts on the real needs of the people.
“Nangako tayo ng Bagong Pilipinas. Ibig sabihin, hindi lang bagong plano—kundi bagong resulta, bagong pag-asa, at bagong serbisyo para sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino,” he said.
He also reiterated his call for further reforms, including a review of PhilHealth’s charter so it can function more like a true health partner, capable of covering 50% or more of private hospital expenses, and providing preventive services such as free X-rays, mammograms, HPV vaccines and lab tests.
“Our goal is simple: no Filipino should be denied health care because of poverty. And today, we move one step closer to that goal.”
Speaker Romualdez ended by thanking President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the leadership of PhilHealth, and the health sector for working together to fulfill the promise of universal health care.
“Walang mas hihigit na pribilehiyo sa pagiging lingkod-bayan kundi ang makatulong sa pagpapagaling ng isang kapwa Pilipino. Sa bawat pasyenteng gumagaling, sa bawat pamilyang gumagaan ang buhay, doon natin mararamdaman na may kabuluhan ang ating serbisyo,” Speaker Romualdez said.
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