PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. encouraged other private hospitals to “embrace the no copayment policy" to ensure more Filipinos can access quality health care.
Speaking at the St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC)-Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) signing of their memorandum of understanding (MOU) launching the no-copayment policy on Tuesday, Marcos urged the removal of barriers to accessing the assistance patients need.
“Continue removing the financial, geographic, and institutional barriers to getting the assistance that they [patients] need. We encourage more hospitals across the country to support PhilHealth's advancement of universal health care by embracing the no-copayment policy,” said Marcos in his keynote address.
Under the No Co-Payment Policy, qualified patients admitted to basic or ward accommodations in government and some public hospitals —and now in SLMC — will leave the hospital with a zero billing balance after PhilHealth and government medical funds are applied.
Marcos noted that integrating top-tier private hospitals into the public health care safety net removes the fear of high medical costs for marginalized patients requiring specialized treatment.
“Even those who cannot go to private hospitals like St. Luke’s will be able to go here, and we will provide support. Patients who go to private hospitals will not be afraid because they do not have to pay,” Marcos told reporters in Filipino.
He described the agreement with SLMC as an initial milestone in a broader strategy to scale up health care access nationwide.
“This is a very big thing, and this is just the beginning. We started with St. Luke’s, and we will increase it so that all our health care facilities will be included in our programs,” Marcos added.
He further emphasized that private-sector involvement remains vital to strengthening the national health care architecture and realizing the ultimate goal of universal health care.
Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, acting president and chief executive officer of PhilHealth, confirmed that SLMC has initially allocated 53 beds dedicated specifically to the no-balance billing policy.
The designated beds aim to ease patient backlogs in public hospitals by allowing individuals who need specialized care to receive treatment at SLMC without incurring extra charges.
“St. Luke's will help us to serve more patients who do not need to pay extra,” she said in an interview.
She clarified that the agreement spans all existing PhilHealth benefit packages for members admitted to the hospital's basic accommodation areas.
Additionally, PhilHealth confirmed that patients with Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) coverage or private health insurance can still use their benefits, with PhilHealth coverage applied first before any supplemental insurance is factored in.
Ho noted that since Marcos took office, out-of-pocket spending from patients decreased from 45 percent to 41 percent in 2025.
PhilHealth is currently in discussions with other private hospitals to further expand the initiative nationwide, noting that private facilities already account for 80 percent of providers in specific care programs.
