President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed hope on Wednesday that Filipinos will one day receive hospital treatment without paying anything out of pocket—whether during his time in office or in future administrations.
Speaking during the distribution of patient transport vehicles, Marcos said the government is actively working to reform the country’s health system to ease the financial burden on patients. “We are lowering the out-of-pocket expenses, because right now, patients still need to pay to get diagnosed or treated. Slowly, we want to reduce these payments,” he said.
Marcos explained that if the economy improves, it would be possible to reach a point where patients only pay minimal administrative fees—citing other countries where charges are as low as P100. “That’s the aspiration,” the President stressed.
To achieve this vision, Marcos said discussions are ongoing with the Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth to expand healthcare access, especially for the poorest Filipinos. This includes more specialty hospitals and additional Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service (Bucas) centers. As of May 2025, 51 Bucas centers are already operating in 33 provinces, offering free lab work and treatments for non-life-threatening conditions.
PhilHealth, under President and CEO Dr. Edwin Mercado, is also aiming to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenses from the current 45 percent to around 25 to 30 percent. This includes widening coverage for costly and rare diseases, such as cancer.
Data shows that Filipino households continue to bear the brunt of healthcare costs. In 2022 alone, they paid P502 billion out of the P1.12 trillion total health expenditure—significantly higher than the government’s contribution.
