By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
The implementation of the Zero-Balance Billing (ZBB) program in government hospitals has eliminated the need for patients to seek guarantee letters (GLs) from politicians, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Wednesday.
Speaking at a Palace press briefing, Herbosa said ZBB was designed to remove political gatekeeping in access to medical care.
“Wala nang GL because may zero balance na. The reason we put up the zero balance billing is so hindi ka na dadaan sa politiko,” Herbosa said.
He said patients can now directly go to Department of Health (DOH) hospitals and receive treatment without paying anything or seeking endorsements from elected officials.
“I’ve met some of the patients and I’ve done my rounds sa mga DOH hospitals, hindi sila dumadadaan sa politiko. Pumila sila sa outpatient department… wala silang binayaran, naoperahan sila, nakauwi sila,” he said.
Herbosa said as long as patients are admitted under basic accommodation in DOH hospitals, there is no need to approach politicians for medical assistance.
“As long as we inform people na zero balance billing na po sa basic accommodation sa DOH hospitals, there is no need to go to an elected official,” he added.
The Health chief credited President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for prioritizing healthcare funding, noting that the DOH received P448 billion under the 2026 national budget, the third-highest allocation among government agencies.
He said health economists had long projected that around PHP450 billion annually would be needed to fully sustain universal health coverage (UHC), a level now reached under the 2026 budget.
“This is a 73% increase of the DOH-wide budget… and the highest jump if you look at the graph,” Herbosa said, recalling that the health budget was just around P100 billion when he was still a DOH undersecretary.
Under the 2026 budget, speciality hospitals such as the Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center, National Children’s Hospital and National Kidney and Transplant Institute each received an additional P1 billion to support zero-balance billing, especially for complex procedures.
Herbosa also announced an additional PHP 1-billion fund to expand ZBB coverage to local government unit (LGU)-run hospitals, following the rollout of the program in 83 DOH hospitals nationwide starting July 2026.
He said nearly 1.1 million patients have already benefited from the ZBB program, with the government covering up to P2.7 million worth of hospital costs for some patients.
The Health Secretary also cited Section 19 of the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which explicitly prohibits political involvement in the distribution of cash and financial medical assistance, including programs such as the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) and ZBB.
“Ito daw ‘yung anti-epal provision,” Herbosa said, stressing that assistance must now be delivered strictly by authorized government personnel, free from political branding or intervention.
Earlier, watchdog groups questioned the continued use of guarantee letters in medical assistance, arguing that they entrench patronage politics.
Herbosa said ZBB directly addresses those concerns by removing the need for political endorsements altogether. (PNA)
