Executive Secretary Ralph Recto asked the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to further expand benefit packages, particularly for middle-income contributors.

Recto told DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin Mercado during a meeting on Jan. 20 to discuss system-wide reforms aimed at improving healthcare affordability and access, according to a news release Sunday.

The Executive Secretary stressed the need for contributors, especially middle-class Filipinos who consistently pay taxes and PhilHealth premiums, to receive benefits commensurate with their contributions.

The meeting focused on strengthening the implementation of zero balance billing, a policy designed to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for indigent patients in DOH hospitals, and addressing gaps that continue to burden families despite existing coverage.

The DOH, for its part, reported that it is in the final stages of completing its Healthcare Provider Network model, which is intended to better support local government unit (LGUs) delivering higher-level medical care and to improve referral systems under the Universal Health Care law.

Recto said closer coordination among national agencies and LGUs is key to ensuring that healthcare financing reforms translate into tangible relief for patients across income groups. (PNA)