PhilHealth: Severe dengue benefits raised to P47,000

The PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) Caloocan —https://www.philhealth.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth)—lately the subject of controversy over the transfer of P60 billion in its unused subsidies to the national treasury—has increased its benefit package for severe dengue from P16,000 to P47,000.

The almost 200 percent increase, which took effect on Nov. 1 is in line with the state health insurer’s aim to provide adequate financial risk protection to Filipinos diagnosed with the disease that continues to be a public health risk nationwide.

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“PhilHealth is committed to supporting Filipinos, most especially during these challenging times,” PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday.

Third highest claims

“With this twofold increase in health insurance coverage for severe dengue, we hope to alleviate the financial burden on affected families. There is no more reason to delay seeking immediate medical treatment upon observing dengue symptoms,” he added.

In February, PhilHealth raised its benefit package for “dengue with or without warning signs” from P10,000 to P13,000—a 30-percent increase for inflation adjustment.

Last year, it paid P1.53 billion to cover a total of 163,209 claims for the mosquito-borne disease, the third highest number of claims among its members, after pneumonia and acute gastroenteritis.

From January to October this year, the Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 314,785 dengue cases, more than double than the 155,823 cases reported in the same period in 2023.

Dengue cases peak during the rainy season, which lasts from June to November. According to the DOH, frequent rains increase the breeding grounds for mosquitoes due to the accumulation of stagnant water in some regions, particularly in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces).

“The DOH assures the public that hospitals are well-prepared to manage cases effectively. This is in addition to the conduct of hospital orientations on Dengue Clinical Practice Guidelines to ensure hospitals and staff are well-equipped,” it said.