Officials of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Department of Health (DOH) and 17 private hospitals signed a tripartite memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Friday, October 23, to strengthen the implementation of the No Balance Billing (NBB) Program in Pampanga.
The provincial government said the MOA signing was held recently at the Kingsborough International Convention Center as part of efforts to expand access to healthcare benefits under the Universal Health Care Act.
Under the policy, qualified PhilHealth members admitted to basic or ward accommodations in participating private hospitals will not pay for hospitalization expenses, subject to PhilHealth rules and guidelines.
PhilHealth spokesperson Alfred Phillip De Dios said the program was introduced in 2010 to eliminate out-of-pocket payments for covered medical expenses among eligible members.
“The No Balance Billing Program of PhilHealth started in 2010. Under this policy, PhilHealth members admitted to basic or ward accommodations in private hospitals should no longer have to pay out of pocket for covered medical expenses during hospitalization,” De Dios said.
The 17 institutions that signed the agreement are Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Medical Center Inc.; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel–Clark; Rosario Medical Center in Guagua; Dr. Amando Garcia Medical Center; St. John Paul II Medical Center Corp.; AC Sacred Heart Hospital; GreenCity Medical Center; Holy Trinity Medical Center Inc.; Mother Teresa of Calcutta Medical Center; Pampanga Premier Medical Center Inc.; Apalit Doctor’s Hospital Inc.; Asccom Medical Center; E.D. Lim Medical Center; Leonardo R. Manabat Sr. Hospital Inc.; Our Lady of Rosary Hospital; San Fernandino Hospital; and HTC Specialty Clinic and Diagnostic Laboratory.
Under the law, private hospitals are required to allocate at least 10% of their total bed capacity for basic or ward accommodations, where qualified patients may avail of the program, subject to applicable policies and guidelines.
DOH data presented during the event showed that private hospitals in Pampanga have a combined capacity of 1,951 beds, while public hospitals have 1,760 beds.
PhilHealth and the participating hospitals will establish monitoring mechanisms to check compliance with NBB requirements, including charges for professional fees, hospital services and other out-of-pocket payments, according to the provincial government.
Hospitals that signed the agreement may also qualify for performance-based incentives in recognition of their participation and compliance with program standards, PhilHealth said.
The signing was attended by Governor Lilia Pineda, Vice Governor Dennis Pineda, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Provincial Health Officer Dax Tidula, PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Beverly Lorraine Ho, Health Secretary Edwin Mercado, De Dios and Lawyer Mica Joy S. Fajardo of the PhilHealth Legal Services Unit.
Governor Pineda and Vice Governor Pineda thanked PhilHealth, the DOH and the hospitals for supporting the program.
Meanwhile, records from the Governor’s Medical Assistance Office showed that the provincial government, in coordination with national government agencies, provided more than ?1.5 billion in medical and financial assistance to 38,867 beneficiaries from June 2025 to July 2026.