Section 21Sec./Art. 21

PhilHealth Benefits for Cancer. - The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation shall expand its benefit packages to include primary care screening, detection, diagnosis, treatment assistance, supportive care, survivorship follow-up care rehabilitation, and end-of-life care, for all types and stages of cancer, in both adults and children. It shall also develop innovative benefits such as support for community-based models of care to improve cancer treatment journey and reduce costs of care, including stand-alone chemotherapy infusion centers, ambulatory care, community- or home-based palliative care and pain management and community-based hospice facility.

The development or expansion of any PhilHealth benefit shall go through a proper, transparent and standardized prioritization setting process, such as the Health Technology Assessment and actuarial feasibility study, to avoid inequitable allocation of funds for health care services.

The Cancer Assistance Fund and PhilHealth benefits shall be made available in public and private DOH-licensed cancer centers. DOH and PhilHealth shall prescribe, in consultation with stakeholders, the coverage rates and applicable rules on options to charge co-payment for services rendered. Processes to avail of such funding shall be streamlined to ensure timely provision of cancer care.