PhilHealth to expand ‘Konsulta’ meds package

THIRTY-TWO drug products are set to be included in the list of medications provided by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) under its “Konsulta” program.

PhilHealth’s Outpatient Drug Benefit package currently covers only 21 medications.

“This will bring PhilHealth’s coverage to a total of 53 outpatient medications, ranging from regiments covering infections up to maintenance medications for non-communicable diseases,” PhilHealth said in a statement.

Rey Baleña, PhilHealth acting vice president for corporate affairs, declined to say what the additional medications are.

“We cannot release without final guidelines. But rest assured these are essential meds, those commonly needed. The message is we are making these essential meds accessible to help make people’s conditions better,” he said in an interview.

Balena said PhilHealth is looking make the additional medicines available as soon as possible.

“The implementation is limited to test sites this year. The expanded rollout would be next year,” said Baleña.

Last year, PhilHealth identified 21 drugs and medicines that will be made available, such as anti-microbial, anti-asthma, antipyretics, anti-dyslipidemia, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive medicines, including fluids and electrolytes, anti-thrombotic, and anti-histamines.

The drugs and medicines covered may be provided as needed by the patients and as recommend by their primary care physician under the “Konsulta” package.

Last November, PhilHealth announced it was set to adjust the rates of most of its benefit packages for its members come 2024. PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma said the plan is to increase benefit packages up to a maximum of 30 percent for all cases.

“This is expected to lower out-of-pocket expenses of patients during hospitalization and in the availment of PhilHealth benefits for outpatient care,” Ledesma has said.

The forthcoming adjustment of the case rates for 2024 follows the expansion of dialysis coverage to 156 sessions, from the previous 90 sessions, beginning last year.

It will also come after PhilHealth approved an increased coverage for ischemic stroke to P76,000 from P28,000;