The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) should increase its coverage for outpatient hemodialysis to a maximum of 156 sessions for next year, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go said.

Go noted that currently PhilHealth members and their dependents who are diagnosed with stage 5 chronic kidney disease and enrolled in the state health insurer’s dialysis database are eligible to receive only up to 144 hemodialysis treatments.

“Maraming lumalapit sa aking opisina para sa dialysis. It is the reason why I filed Senate Bill No. 190 mandating PhilHealth to fully cover all costs of dialysis treatments, sessions and procedures done in PhilHealth accredited-health facilities (Many people come to my office for dialysis. It is the reason why I filed Senate Bill No. 190 mandating PhilHealth to fully cover all costs of dialysis treatments, sessions and procedures done in PhilHealth accredited-health facilities),” Go said in a statement.

“Pero kung kaya naman itong i-implement ng PhilHealth ngayon at sa susunod na taon, mas mabuti (But if PhilHealth can implement it now and next year, even better),” he said.

Go said that under the P5.268-trillion national budget for next year, PhilHealth has a P21-billion budget for benefit package improvement under the Universal Health Care Act.

The agency, he said, can use this budget to expand the hemodialysis treatment coverage, incluidng mental healt outpatient coverage, implementation of the comprehensive outpatient benefit package, including free medical check-up and other increases in benefits package.

“I commend the adoption of my proposed special provision under the PhilHealth budget that indicates the use of the P21-Billion budget pertaining to benefit package improvement under Universal Health Care Act,” Go had said during the plenary deliberations on the 2023 national budget.

Under Senate Bill No. 190, or the proposed “Free Dialysis Act of 2022,” PhilHealth, in consultation with the Health Technology Assessment Council, will be tasked to develop a comprehensive dialysis benefit package that shall fully cover all costs of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatments, sessions and procedures done in PhilHealth accredited-health facilities.

Go vowed to continue pushing for more people-centered and service-oriented legislation, saying he will ensure there is non-stop public service delivery to those who need government attention the most.

“Napakahalaga sa akin ng kalusugan ng bawat Pilipino. Kaya marami sa mga prayoridad na panukalang batas na aking agad na inihain ay sa aspetong ito nakatutok (The health of every Filipino is very important to me. So many of the priority bills that I immediately filed are focused on this aspect),” he said.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. is expected to sign the 2023 national budget, which Congress ratified earlier this month, today, Friday, December 16.