Parañaque City 2nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan has called on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to step up its information campaign, saying many Filipinos remain unaware of the full range of benefits available to them despite automatic membership under the Universal Health Care Law.
Yamsuan raised the issue during the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Health, where he sits as part of the House panel.
Senator Erwin Tulfo, a member of the Senate contingent, expressed support for the lawmaker’s position.
“In Parañaque, for instance, many of our kababayans do not know that they can benefit from PhilHealth benefits like YAKAP (Yaman ng Kalusugan), where they can get access to free consultations, and ₱20,000 worth of medicines every year,” Yamsuan said.
Citing a recent independent study on outpatient awareness of YAKAP, Yamsuan said public understanding of the program “remains limited and fragmented, with many Filipinos familiar with PhilHealth as an institution but not with the precise components or registration procedures of the outpatient package.”
YAKAP is the expanded version of PhilHealth’s Konsulta program. It provides free medical consultations, selected laboratory tests, cancer screenings, and an expanded list of medicines worth up to ₱20,000 annually.
Yamsuan stressed that PhilHealth must boost its social media presence and work more closely with local government units to reinforce national information efforts at the community level.
“This is a laudable initiative of our President (Ferdinand “Bongbong”) Marcos Jr., which, however, many Filipinos do not know about. Kung alam man nila na may YAKAP, hindi nila alam kung saang YAKAP accredited clinic pupunta, o kung saang YAKAP accredited pharmacy makakakuha ng libreng gamot,” he said.
“A weak information campaign defeats the PhilHealth’s purpose of making quality healthcare accessible and affordable to every Filipino,” he added.