Revamp of PhilHealth autism package sought

SEN. Joel Villanueva urged the Department of Health (DOH) and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Tuesday to overhaul the government's autism spectrum disorder (ASD) benefit package. 'A promise on paper is not the same as help in hand. In eight years, this benefit has reached only 482 families,' the senator said, stressing the wide gap between health benefits on paper and actual access to care. ​Villanueva initially raised the issue during a Senate briefing on the agencies' proposed 2027 budgets, questioning whether the P74.449-billion National Health Insurance Program subsidy would translate into meaningful assistance for Filipinos with ASD and other developmental disabilities. ​PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho said that the ASD benefit package has been available since 2017 but utilization remains extremely low, largely because only five facilities nationwide are accredited to provide the covered services.​ Villanueva questioned the adequacy of the package, which covers up to 90 therapy sessions, while its assessment component is valued at only P3,000 to P5,000 — an amount he said falls far short of the actual cost of obtaining an ASD diagnosis. ​He cited Senate Bill 1822, or the proposed National Autism Care, Support, and Inclusion Act, which was approved by the Senate on third and final reading last March and contains provisions seeking to expand PhilHealth coverage for persons with ASD. ​Ho noted PhilHealth plans to issue an updated policy before the end of the year that would double both the package rate and the number of covered consultations, following the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ​She said the agency is finalizing rules that would allow occupational and speech therapists to secure accreditation based on their practice rather than requiring them to operate from a fixed clinic. PhilHealth, Ho added, is expanding a screening and training module for village health workers and daycare personnel developed with the Developmental Pediatrics Society to improve early identification and referral of children who may need ASD assessment.