Bicam earmarks ₱51B for zero balance billing for poor patients

While this makes it controversial by nature, the conferees still acknowledged its necessity.

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"In a perfect world...dapat pagpasok ng isang mahirap sa pampublikong hospital, make-cater na ang kanyang pangangailangan, dapat ganun. Hindi kailangan yung kakilala yung mayor, congressman, senador. Sana ganun," Senator Loren Legarda said during the marathon hearing. (When a poor person enters a public hospital, their needs should already be catered to, that’s how it should be. It should not be necessary to know the mayor, congressman, or senator. Hopefully, that’s how it would be.)

"Until such time that the UHC (Universal Health Care Law) is really, completely, properly implemented, and PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation) is able to handle all of this, I believe that we must provide for the poorest of the poor in the most far-flung islands, and the highest uplands," she noted.

Suansing said the House version of the GAB provided a P49.2-billion funding for MAIFIP.“This is meant to actualize the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to provide zero balance billing for indigent patients in government hospitals,” she said.

However, the program only had a P29-billion budget under the Senate’s GAB.

"If the House version is not adopted, that would reduce the number of beneficiaries by 1.1 million," the solon from Nueva Ecija said.

"I appeal to our colleagues in the Senate to consider adopting the Senate version of MAIFIP which is at P49.23...but if you add the requirements of the Senate that would come to around P51 billion," Suansing said, referring to the eventual final amount.

The House contingent thanked the Senate after the increase was adopted.

As the bicam deliberations continue, the House panel said it will work with the Senate to ensure that the final version of the 2026 outlay retains the enhanced health sector funding and advances the goal of universal, affordable healthcare for Filipinos.

Senators object