Senator Christopher “Bong” Go is championing a new legislative measure that aims to boost public awareness of Filipinos’ health insurance rights and coverage under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).
As the 20th Congress begins, Go filed the PhilHealth Card Act of 2025, which seeks to mandate the issuance of health cards or proof of membership to every Filipino. The bill is aligned with the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law and aims to strengthen access and awareness of benefits under PhilHealth.
Despite the government’s push for universal health coverage, Go noted that many Filipinos remain unaware of their entitlements. He stressed that this lack of awareness often leads to underutilization of essential health services.
Citing data from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Go said that while NHIP coverage theoretically reached 100% of the population in the first half of 2024, only 96% were formally registered by the end of 2023—leaving around 4.5 million Filipinos without registration.
“However, data indicates that by the end of 2023, only 96 percent of Filipinos were registered with PhilHealth, leaving approximately 4.52 million individuals unregistered,” Go emphasized.
The senator also pointed out that although 27.8 million individuals are currently enrolled in PhilHealth’s Konsulta program, a considerable number of citizens still don’t realize they are members or are unclear about the benefits they can access.
Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, clarified that the proposed health card is not required to receive benefits but would serve as a physical proof of membership. He believes this would increase visibility, aid in service utilization, and reinforce public understanding of government healthcare programs.
“The health card is not essential for availing of PhilHealth benefits,” he said. “Its purpose is to serve as proof of membership and to help raise awareness of the health benefits available to Filipinos.”
To streamline the system, Go is also proposing that PhilHealth’s database be integrated with the National ID system. This would make it easier to issue affordable identification cards and ensure that every citizen is well-informed about their health coverage.
