MANILA, Philippines — About a quarter of PhilHealth’s benefit payouts goes to dialysis, highlighting the health insurer’s focus on strengthening primary care and managing costly illnesses earlier, its acting president and CEO, Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, said.
Responding to a question from The Manila Times about the potential impact of the new benefit-complementation framework on patients’ out-of-pocket expenses, Ho said the effect would vary depending on each patient’s condition.
“I think this is really case-to-case. It really depends on what the condition of the patient is,” Ho said in Filipino and English.
Ho described PhilHealth’s investment in primary care as its “strategic bet to long-term sustainability,” including the sustainability of the PhilHealth Fund.
She cited dialysis spending as an example of the long-term costs PhilHealth hopes to address through stronger primary care.
“25% of what we spend in terms of payout goes to dialysis,” Ho said, referring to around P400 billion in PhilHealth payouts.
Ho said early detection and treatment of conditions such as hypertension and diabetes could help some patients avoid progressing to more serious illnesses.
The remarks followed the Oct. 1, 2026 signing of a memorandum of understanding between PhilHealth and major health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and private health insurers establishing the PhilHealth YAKAP-HMO/PHI Benefit Complementation initiative.
