Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan has called on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to expand its outpatient coverage for dialysis and other kidney disease treatments to address the rapidly growing number of patients. Yamsuan made the appeal during National Kidney Month in June, citing data from the Philippine Renal Disease Registry (PRDR) showing that 57.44 percent of individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) are aged 20 to 59, surpassing the number of senior citizens affected.
House Bill 6310 seeks comprehensive coverage
To address the crisis, Yamsuan filed House Bill 6310, which aims to ensure PhilHealth covers all costs for dialysis, medications, doctor fees, and hospitalization under a “No Balance Billing” policy. The bill also mandates free kidney transplant operations and requires hospitals to provide facilities for Peritoneal Dialysis (PD), a cheaper form of dialysis that can be done at home, potentially reducing government spending on hemodialysis by billions of pesos.
According to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) and PhilHealth, kidney disease has become one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines, with over 30,000 new patients starting dialysis last year alone.
Early detection and prevention emphasized
The proposed law also focuses on early detection and prevention of kidney disease through laboratory tests. Yamsuan highlighted that kidney transplantation offers the highest quality of life for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients. “Recognizing that kidney transplantation provides the highest quality of life for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients, our measure also mandates Philhealth to shoulder all expenses for the procedure, including the costs for both the recipient and the donor, to make this life-saving treatment truly accessible,” Yamsuan said.
