MANILA (PIA) — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced Wednesday that PhilHealth will significantly expand its maternity benefit coverage starting April 30
In a public address, President Marcos said this benefit nearly triples reimbursements for normal deliveries and broadening prenatal care support to ensure that no Filipino mother is forced to choose between safe childbirth and financial hardship. Under the expanded benefit package, the PhilHealth coverage for normal hospital deliveries will rise from P9,750 to P29,000.
For cesarean section deliveries, coverage increases from P37,000 to between P58,000 and P62,000, amounts that Marcos said could effectively eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for mothers who give birth in ward accommodations, including in private hospitals.
“Many mothers give birth without a doctor, not because they do not want proper care, but because they cannot afford the cost. This is what we want to change,” Marcos said.
The expanded package also covers prenatal care, doubling the number of covered check-ups from four to eight visits, and now includes vaccines and laboratory tests under PhilHealth coverage. Three postnatal follow-up visits are likewise covered under the new benefit structure.
Marcos said the reform is driven by a straightforward goal of ensuring that every Filipino mother can give birth safely without worrying about how to pay for it.
“We want no life placed in danger simply because of a lack of money,” the President said.
The announcement builds on the Marcos Jr. administration’s broader push to strengthen universal health care access for all Filipinos, particularly the most vulnerable, under Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
