October 5, 2026 iCare Joins PhilHealth YAKAP Initiative to Help Filipinos Get More from Their Healthcare Coverage
For many Filipino workers, healthcare protection comes from more than one source. PhilHealth provides national health insurance, while many employers supplement this protection through an HMO or private health plan. A new initiative involving PhilHealth, iCare HMO Philippines and other private healthcare organizations seek to make these different layers of coverage work more effectively together.
iCare is among 13 HMOs and private health insurers that signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PhilHealth for the YAKAP-HMO/PHI Benefit Complementation initiative. Announced by the Department of Finance on October 1, the initiative seeks to complement PhilHealth’s primary-care benefits with private healthcare coverage, reduce duplication of benefits and help Filipinos maximize the healthcare protection available to them.
The initiative is consistent with the Universal Health Care Act, which provides for coordination between PhilHealth and private healthcare payers. It also comes as healthcare spending continues to grow. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, national health expenditure reached PHP 1.87 trillion in 2025, up 15.1% from the previous year, while household out-of-pocket payments accounted for 41.2% of current health expenditure.
Making healthcare coverage work better together
At the center of the initiative is PhilHealth’s Yaman ng Kalusugan Program, or YAKAP, its primary-care program covering consultations, laboratory tests, selected medicines under the GAMOT package and cancer screening. In May 2026, PhilHealth reported that YAKAP had reached 33.2 million Filipinos through 4,287 accredited clinics nationwide.
Under the model publicly described by the Department of Finance, YAKAP serves as the first layer of protection for applicable primary-care services, while HMOs and private health insurers can provide additional coverage according to their respective plans. PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho said the arrangement would allow private partners to focus their benefits on what lies beyond the YAKAP package, helping Filipinos get “more care for every peso.”
For employers, the initiative is particularly relevant because PhilHealth and HMO coverage are both important components of employee healthcare. The Department of Labor and Employment has encouraged private-sector employers to help workers register for YAKAP, citing access to primary care, earlier detection of chronic conditions and the prevention of avoidable hospitalization among its benefits.
This creates an opportunity for companies to look at employee healthcare more holistically. Rather than viewing PhilHealth and HMO coverage as separate benefits, employers can consider how each contributes to healthcare access, preventive care, workforce wellbeing and financial protection for employees and their families.
From treatment to prevention
Primary care is an important part of this approach. Hospitalization and emergency coverage remain essential, but consultations, screening, diagnostics and access to medicines can help identify and manage health conditions before more intensive care becomes necessary.
For companies, healthcare is therefore not simply a question of the price or coverage limit of an HMO plan. It is also about whether employees can understand their benefits, access appropriate healthcare providers and make effective use of the healthcare resources available to them. As health expenditure rises, these considerations are increasingly relevant to HR leaders, CFOs and other executives responsible for employee benefits and workforce health.
For iCare President and CEO Geronimo “Ronnie” V. Francisco, participation in the initiative reflects the importance of helping Filipinos make better use of the healthcare protection already available to them.
“Filipinos should be able to get the greatest possible value from the healthcare protection already available to them. By making PhilHealth and private HMO benefits work more effectively together, we have an opportunity to improve access to care while helping make healthcare more sustainable for employers, employees and families,” Francisco said.
The initiative also aligns with iCare’s Say Yes to Better Health platform, which emphasizes access to healthcare and helping members make effective use of their health benefits. Participation in YAKAP benefit complementation places iCare alongside other private healthcare organizations in supporting greater coordination between public and private healthcare coverage.
The signing does not, by itself, change the existing benefits or terms of an iCare member’s plan. Members should continue to follow applicable PhilHealth requirements and the terms and procedures of their respective iCare coverage. PhilHealth, meanwhile, is encouraging eligible members to register for YAKAP through the eGovPH app, PhilHealth Member Portal or a PhilHealth office.
Working toward better healthcare coordination
The PhilHealth YAKAP-HMO/PHI Benefit Complementation initiative brings public and private healthcare organizations together around a shared objective: helping Filipinos make better use of the healthcare benefits available to them.
For employers, the initiative highlights the relationship between PhilHealth, HMO coverage, primary and preventive care, healthcare providers and employee wellbeing. For HMOs and healthcare providers, it reinforces the role of coordination in helping members understand and access their benefits.
Finance Secretary and PhilHealth Board Member Frederick D. Go described the initiative as part of efforts to build “a healthier, more productive Philippines.”
For iCare, participation supports its commitment to making healthcare more accessible and sustainable for the individuals, families and employers it serves. By complementing PhilHealth’s primary-care benefits with private HMO coverage, the initiative provides another avenue for advancing a common goal: helping more Filipinos get greater value from their healthcare coverage and Say Yes to Better Health.
