More than 1.6 million Filipinos benefited from PhilHealth’s zero-billing health program in the first quarter of the year, as the Marcos administration reviewed gains in its healthcare agenda.
The figure was reported during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Healthcare Sector in Malacañang on Wednesday.
According to the report, 87 hospitals were already implementing the zero-balance billing component of PhilHealth’s Kalusugan Program para Malayo sa Sakit, or YAKAP, as of February.
The program benefited over 1.6 million patients and covered about P95 billion in hospital bills during the first quarter.
PhilHealth’s Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment, or GAMOT program also posted gains, with 2,026 accredited pharmacies serving more than 171,000 beneficiaries as of this month.
The report said the GAMOT program covered P238.23 million worth of medicines for qualified patients.
The PSAC Healthcare Sector also cited PhilHealth’s continuing information technology transformation, which it said helped improve claims processing and expand access to healthcare services.
Based on PhilHealth data presented during the meeting, claims processing turnaround time improved by 46 percent, cutting reimbursement waiting periods from about two months to as short as two weeks.
Beneficiary coverage also rose by 65 percent compared with 2023, equivalent to 8.7 million additional Filipinos served.
The PSAC welcomed the early-year gains but urged the government to sustain momentum in key healthcare reforms.
It called for continued healthcare digitalization and system modernization, faster Food and Drug Administration approvals, pharmacy reforms, and more adaptive healthcare facility regulations to encourage investments and public-private partnerships in the health sector.