Senator Joel Villanueva has urged the Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth to fix its autism benefit package after learning that only 482 claims have been paid since the program started in 2017.
Villanueva raised the issue during a Senate budget briefing on the agencies’ proposed 2027 budgets, questioning whether the P74.449-billion National Health Insurance Program subsidy is reaching Filipinos with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho confirmed that only 482 claims had been paid in eight years, largely because just five facilities nationwide are accredited to provide the service.
The existing package covers up to 90 therapy sessions, while its assessment component is worth only P3,000 to P5,000, Villanueva said.
“A promise on paper is not the same as help in hand. In eight years, this benefit has reached only 482 families,” he said.
Villanueva also cited Senate Bill 1822, or the National Autism Care, Support, and Inclusion Act, which was approved by the Senate on third reading last March and seeks expanded PhilHealth coverage for persons with ASD.
Ho said PhilHealth plans to release an updated policy before the end of the year that would double the package rate and the number of covered consultations.
The agency is also working on rules that would allow occupational and speech therapists to be accredited based on their practice rather than requiring a fixed clinic.
Villanueva also raised the shortage of occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech-language pathologists.
Health Secretary Edwin Mercado said training an occupational or physical therapist takes four to five years, while many graduates leave the country to work abroad.
“A law on paper does not put a therapist in a clinic,” Villanueva said, urging the DOH, PhilHealth and schools to work together to address the shortage.IMT
