PhilHealth hemodialysis claims near P27-B in H1 2025

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has disbursed nearly P27 billion for more than two million hemodialysis claims in the first six months of 2025—an amount already close to the P28 billion it paid out for the entire year of 2024.

PhilHealth Health Policy Sector Senior Vice President Israel Francis Pargas said the sharp increase is a sign of growing demand for dialysis and continued access to life-saving treatment.

In contrast, P121 million was paid for 14,000 peritoneal dialysis claims in the same period, compared to over P400 million for all claims in 2024.

“Nagkaroon tayo ng issue tungkol sa pagbabayad (We had an issue about payment), but, we, are continuously improving ‘no,” he said in a *Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon* interview recently.

“Ngayon po ang ating national average for payment is around 23 days na dapat ay 60 days (Our current national average for payment is around 23 days, even though the allowable period is 60 days),” he added.

With the increasing financial burden of kidney-related treatments, PhilHealth has expanded its benefit packages for both patients and kidney donors undergoing transplantation.

“So, sa mga adult patients po, ang ating pasyente po ay umaabot na ng from—dati kasi P600,000 iyong pinakamababa, ngayon ang pinakamababa nating pakete is P800,000 at umaabot ito sa more than one million sa adults, pero sa children umaabot po ng more than P2.1 million (So, for adult patients, the package used to start at P600,000, now the lowest amount is P800,000 and can go over one million. For children, it can reach more than P2.1 million),” Pargas said.

Last week, PhilHealth introduced its upgraded Z Benefit packages, which now include post-kidney transplant support for both adult and pediatric patients. These packages cover critical monthly immunosuppressant drugs, infection-preventing antibiotics, and quarterly laboratory procedures.

In a further boost to care access, living kidney donors for children and elderly recipients will receive P1,900 for bi-annual lab tests and monitoring—an effort to ease the long-term medical demands on both donors and recipients.