PhilHealth offers flexible settlement terms for unpaid contributions

MANILA, January 18 ------ The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has restored the annual PHP20,000 Guaranteed Medicines Access Program (GAMOT) benefit for every member and dependent.

The state insurer, in a public advisory on Wednesday, said the benefit cap applies per calendar year and covers eligible outpatient medicines provided under the GAMOT program. It reminded members that "any unused GAMOT benefit from the previous year will not be carried over to the current year."

Members and dependents are encouraged to maximize the benefit within the year to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses for essential medicines. PhilHealth also reminded its partner health care providers for calendar year 2026 that the deadline for the submission of applications for the accreditation renewal has been extended until Jan. 14.

Applications must be complete, with no gap in the providers’ Department of Health (DOH) license to operate or certification, and submitted on or before the extended deadline to ensure continuous accreditation. The state insurer warned that applications filed beyond Jan. 14 will be treated as re-accreditation and may result in delays or gaps in PhilHealth accreditation, which could affect the delivery of services to members.

Providers are advised to submit their applications to their respective Local Health Insurance Offices or PhilHealth Regional Offices (PROs). For inquiries, PhilHealth said providers may coordinate with their PROs or contact the official PhilHealth hotlines. The extension aims to give partner providers additional time to comply with accreditation requirements and help ensure uninterrupted access to health services for PhilHealth members nationwide.

Source: pna.gov.ph