PhilHealth boosts maternity benefits starting April 30

MANILA, Philippines — State-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will roll out expanded and higher maternity benefits beginning Thursday, April 30, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced.

Marcos said the enhanced package aims to address the high cost of pregnancy-related care, which often forces families to delay or skip needed medical attention.

“Mga kababayan, alam natin kung gaano kamahal ang panganganak. May check-up, laboratory tests, ospital at gamot. Kapag kinulang ang pera, napipilitan tayo maghintay o magtipid. Dito nagsisimula ang panganib,” the president said in a video message on Wednesday, April 29.

(My fellow Filipinos, we know how expensive childbirth can be. There are check-ups, laboratory tests, hospital expenses and medicines. When money falls short, we are forced to wait or cut costs. This is where the danger begins.)

He noted that some mothers end up giving birth without medical assistance due to a lack of funds.

“Maraming ina ang nanganganak na walang doktor. Hindi dahil ayaw nila ng tamang pang-alaga, kung hindi dahil hindi nila kaya ang panggastos. Ito ang nais natin baguhin. Simula sa April 30, mas pinalawak at mas mataas na ang maternity benefit ng PhilHealth,” the president said.

(Many mothers give birth without a doctor, not because they do not want proper care, but because they cannot afford the cost. This is what we want to change. Starting April 30, PhilHealth’s maternity benefits will be expanded and increased)

Under the expanded program, PhilHealth will increase its coverage for normal delivery to P29,000 from P9,750.

Coverage for cesarean section will also increase to between P58,000 and P62,000, from the previous P37,000.

Marcos said the higher benefits could mean zero out-of-pocket expenses for patients admitted to ward accommodations, even in private hospitals.

“Sa maraming pagkakataon, kung sa ward manganganak, kahit sa private hospital, maaari ng wala ng babayaran paglabas,” the president said.

(In many cases, if you give birth in a ward, even in a private hospital, you may no longer have to pay anything upon discharge.)

The benefit package also expands prenatal care from four to eight check-ups, now covering vaccines and laboratory tests, while three postnatal follow-up visits will also be included.

“Simple lamang ang ating layunin, nais natin na matiyak na ang bawat ina ay makakapagpanganak nang ligtas at hindi nag-aalala kung saan kukuha ng pambayad. Nais natin na walang buhay ang malalagay sa panganib dahil lamang sa kakulangan ng pera,” Marcos said.

(Our goal is simple: we want to ensure that every mother can give birth safely without worrying about where to find the money to pay for it. We want no life to be put at risk simply because of a lack of funds.)

The expanded maternity package is expected to benefit more Filipino families and help address risks associated with inadequate maternal care, particularly among those with limited financial means.