President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the public on Tuesday that the government’s zero-balance billing (ZBB) policy in Department of Health (DOH)-run hospitals can be sustained.
“I don’t do anything that I cannot sustain… It has to be self-sustaining. Otherwise, it doesn’t work,” President Marcos said in a podcast interview. “If there’s one guy that goes through the numbers in detail, it’s me. And yes, we can sustain. We can sustain.”
The ZBB policy, which the President ordered implemented in DOH hospitals, ensures that all eligible patients—indigents, sponsored members, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities covered by PhilHealth—are discharged without paying out-of-pocket expenses for hospitalization, diagnostics, and medicines included in PhilHealth’s case rates.
“Health care is expensive. But what’s that money for? It’s not to be kept in the bank. It’s there to spend so that people can have health care for free or cheap. That’s the whole point of PhilHealth,” President Marcos said.
The President earlier said the country is close to achieving universal health care, in line with the Universal Health Care Law, which mandates automatic inclusion of every Filipino in the National Health Insurance Program. The ZBB policy is currently being implemented in 78 hospitals nationwide.
Speaking to reporters in Cambodia before returning to Manila from a three-day state visit, President Marcos also said unused funds for flood control projects under the 2025 national budget will be reallocated to priority sectors such as health and education.
