Marcos grants zero-balance billing at DOH hospitals
Published Jul 28, 2025 07:14 pm
President Marcos has declared that patients admitted in Department of Health (DOH) hospitals will no longer have to pay for their bills.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 28, 2025. Behind him are Senate President Francis Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. (Mark Balmores)
"Ito po – itinuloy na po natin ang zero balance billing. Libre po (Here it is – we have continued the zero balance billing. It’s free)," Marcos announced during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 28.
This means, Marcos said, patients will no longer have to pay anything when they are hospitalized in any DOH hospital.
"Ibig sabihin, ang serbisyo sa basic accommodation sa ating mga DOH na ospital wala nang babayaran ang pasyente dahil bayad na ang bill ninyo (This means that for basic accommodations in our DOH hospitals, patients no longer have to pay anything because your bill has already been covered)," the President said.
"Uulitin ko, wala nang kailangan bayaran ang pasyente basta sa DOH hospital dahil bayad na po ang bill ninyo (I’ll say it again: patients no longer need to pay anything as long as it’s in a DOH hospital, because your bill has already been paid)," he added.
This pronouncement came as a follow up on his previous statement, where he conveyed his plan to eventually remove the out-of-pocket expenses of patients when hospitalized.
In his SONA, Marcos recognized the reality in public hospitals where patients have to buy their own medical supplies and they have to find their own way to seek medical assistance for bills they cannot afford.
"Kaya, sa lahat ng aking binanggit na mga haligi na naitaguyod na natin – ang bahaging sasagutin ng PhilHealth; ang sari-saring pondo ng pamahalaan para sa medical assistance, kagaya ng MAIFIP, PCSO, at PAGCOR; at ang karagdagang pondo na ibibigay pa natin sa mga DOH hospital, areglado na ang lahat sa ospital pa lang (That’s why, with all the pillars we have already established—the portion to be covered by PhilHealth; the various government funds for medical assistance such as MAIFIP, PCSO, and Pagcor; and the additional funding we will provide to DOH hospitals—everything will be taken care of right at the hospital)," Marcos said.
"Wala nang kailangan pang puntahan o lapitan pa (There will be no need to go elsewhere or seek help from anyone else)," he added.