President Benigno Aquino III signed the Republic Act 10606 or the National Health Insurance of 2013 making the national health insurance program compulsory in all provinces, cities, and municipalities.
The law amends the law on PhilHealth, which expands health insurance coverage to other sectors, including the poorest of the poor, abandoned children, and persons with disabilities.
The government has allotted a budget of P13.5 billion to cover 5.2 million indigent households.
Under the law, the national government will subsidize the premium PhilHealth contributions of the poorest of the poor, estimated at P2,400 a year per family.
The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) will identify mechanism to help determine qualified indigent beneficiaries.
PhilHealth is also introducing a no-balance billing for an estimated 10.2 million poor families.
All PhilHealth members will be entitled to the same primary care benefits covered by 23 medical and surgical cases with eight more packages for Z benefits for cases like cancer diseases and kidney transplant in enlisted hospitals.
