President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Health to ensure PhilHealth services remain unaffected despite the insurer receiving no subsidy in the 2025 national budget.
PhilHealth’s P74-billion subsidy was removed, with lawmakers citing its P600-billion reserve fund, which Marcos affirmed is sufficient for operations.
Concern has been raised over the insurer’s capacity to support vulnerable sectors, but Marcos assured the public that PhilHealth services will not decline.
He also emphasized prioritizing preventive healthcare, digitalizing the DOH, and ensuring DSWD programs are fully funded in the programmed budget for faster implementation.
Due to cuts in its original budget allocation, the DSWD is seeking an additional P41.8 billion to cover 4Ps grants for late 2025.
Source: PhilNews24 | January 15, 2025
