MANILA, Philippines — New PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho is pushing five key reforms aimed at making health benefits easier to access and reducing unexpected medical expenses for members.

Among her priorities is expanding PhilHealth’s Yaman ng Kalusugan Program, or Yakap, to schools and workplaces so members can access primary care services closer to where they live, study or work.

Ho also wants more public health services included under Yakap and a more organized primary care system.

Another priority is expanding access to no-balance billing, including through private hospitals willing to offer services at PhilHealth-covered rates.

Ho said patients should have more options instead of relying only on public hospitals to avoid high out-of-pocket costs.

She also plans to simplify the licensing and accreditation process for healthcare providers by exploring a single application platform for both the Department of Health and PhilHealth.

The move is intended to shorten processing times and reduce red tape.

Ho also wants to strengthen PhilHealth’s workforce and improve support and compensation for healthcare workers.

Another focus is preventing “bill shock” by making hospital costs and PhilHealth benefits clearer to patients before treatment.

Ho said patients should know in advance how much they may need to pay and what expenses PhilHealth will cover.

“Malaking bagay na hindi ka magugulat, na hindi bill shock,” Ho said.

The reforms are part of PhilHealth’s broader effort to make benefits more accessible and easier for members to understand.

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