Article by:
Ma. Teresa Montemayor
MANILA – The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Thursday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to modernize systems, prevent fraudulent claims, and ensure benefits reach every Filipino.
PhilHealth President and CEO Edwin Mercado said the MOA for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) co-location and the launch of the PhilHealth Check Utility (PCU) support the full implementation of universal healthcare by ensuring accurate identification and proper delivery of benefits.
“By virtue of the Universal Healthcare Act, all Filipinos are granted automatic eligibility. Ibig sabihin, saklaw ng PhilHealth ang bawat Pilipino, private man or public, employed man or unemployed (This means that PhilHealth covers every Filipino, whether in the private or public sector, and whether employed or unemployed), from the youngest to the oldest,” he said.
He said the state insurer needs to strengthen its systems to ensure that benefits reach the intended recipients.
“Ang ating hangarin na maipatupad ito might bring operational complications. Ngunit kinakailangan natin tiyakin na tunay na nakakarating ang ating mga benepisyo sa dapat na makatanggap (Our goal to implement this might bring operational complications. However, we must ensure that our benefits truly reach those who are intended to receive them),” he added.
“Kaugnay nito (In line with these efforts), we are launching the PhilHealth Check Utility, a key step in strengthening the integrity of our membership data. By integrating PhilSys data, PCU allows us to verify identities real-time, perform biometric checks, and ensure that records are accurate and up-to-date.”
This enables us to prevent duplications, strengthen safeguards, and protect the health fund, while ensuring that benefits reach the right people at the right time.
PSA National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis Mapa described the initiative as a milestone in advancing digital governance and service delivery.
“Today marks a very significant milestone in our shared journey toward a more inclusive, more efficient, and digitally empowered Philippines. The Philippine Statistics Authority is proud to stand with PhilHealth as we solidify our partnership through this Memorandum of Agreement on the National ID Co-location and witness the launch of the PhilHealth Check Utility, or the PCU,” he said.
Mapa noted the progress of the national ID system, citing that as of end-January 2026, about 91 million Filipinos have registered, with 94.7 million authentication transactions recorded as of end-March.
“This progress not only demonstrates the scale and reliability of our identity infrastructure, it also lays a strong foundation for seamless integrations like the one that we are celebrating today,” he said.
The PCU integrates PhilHealth services with the national ID system to enable real-time identity verification, reduce duplication, and streamline access to benefits.
Under the partnership, PhilHealth and the PSA will also establish co-location sites nationwide, allowing Filipinos to access both health insurance and national ID services in a single transaction point, in line with efforts to improve efficiency and accessibility in government services.
The co-location initiative will be implemented nationwide across PhilHealth’s 18 regional offices and 120 local health insurance offices. (PNA)
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