Demand more healthcare benefits!

While we appreciate the added benefits extended by PhilHealth to Filipinos, our people deserve more, given the billions PhilHealth still has to restore, return for better health service for our people.

Soon and completely, Filipinos should demand no less.

Given the past unaccounted for PhilHealth funds and the present huge budget from the BBM government, we urge PhilHealth to implement and expand the ZBB (Zero Balance Billing) or NBB (No Balance Billing) policy and accorded soonest to more, if not all, Filipinos nationwide!

While the NBB policy “has been now been broadened under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law to include all PhilHealth members, including employed, self-employed, lifetime members, senior citizens, sponsored individuals,” and “while “PhilHealth covers the entire hospital bill, including professional fees, room and board, laboratory tests, operating room services, and medicines available at the hospital pharmacy” which means” no out-of-pocket expenses for qualified patients in applicable accommodations” for now, this policy applies only, exclusively “to those admitted to basic or ward-type accommodations in DOH-retained hospitals.”

Those admitted in private rooms have to comply with PhilHealth benefits with co-payment, meaning patients “must pay a portion of the bill based on room rates and services.

With present and past huge budget allocation, Filipinos should demand for wider implementation and access to NBB, ZBB policy of PhilHealth!

Another welcome program of PhilHealth is the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP), “an enhanced package for primary healthcare designed to provide Filipinos with wider access to essential health services, to embrace and protect members through more comprehensive healthcare.”

According to PhilHealth, “We're building a healthier Philippines, one heart at a time.

The PhilHealth YAKAP program is our pledge to you and your family -- that your health is our priority, today and always.”

YAKAP aims to “reduce out-of-pocket expenses and promote early detection of diseases” and offers “a broader range of services than before, including consultations, free medicines, and diagnostic tests. The program covers 75 essential medicines for common illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and epileptic seizures.”

According to PhilHealth, “YAKAP prioritizes preventive care to keep people from getting seriously ill. It provides free cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies, plus laboratory tests to detect chronic diseases early.

PhilHealth is also developing a mobile app to help members access YAKAP services more easily nationwide.”

Yakap expands their earlier Konsulta service started in 2021 by “increasing the number of covered medicines and adding new services.”

How informed are our people about YAKAP?

Have all barangays shared with their residents about YAKAP and its services?

Please join the campaign to inform more of our people about YAKAP, that it

1) “prioritizes preventive care to keep people from getting seriously ill;

2) offers a broader range of services than before, including consultations, free medicines, and diagnostic tests, free cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies, plus laboratory tests to detect chronic diseases early; and,

3) covers 75 essential medicines for common illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and epileptic seizures.”

The following are the steps to register for PhilHealth Yakap Program:

Step 1: One, get your PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN) either online (through PhilHealth Member Portal) or offline (visit the nearest PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO).

NOTE: If you’re already a PhilHealth member, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Register for PhilHealth YAKAP from among these four options, through: a) eGovPH App (available for mobile users), b) PhilHealth Member Portal, c) any PhilHealth Office nationwide, or, d)  Nearest accredited YAKAP Clinic

Step 3: Start Using Your Benefits (free consultations at your chosen YAKAP clinic).

Step 4: Keep the Care Going – “return for follow-up visits to ensure proper medication management and ongoing monitoring—because consistent care leads to better outcomes.”

Be informed, demand for more health care benefits from PhilHealth entrusted with our people’s funds!