PhilHealth pays PHP592M to NKTI for kidney treatments

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced on Wednesday that it has paid PHP592 million in claims to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) from January 1 to May 21, 2025.

Acting PhilHealth President Edwin Mercado visited NKTI to ensure patients receive their benefits for hemodialysis and other renal replacement therapies in line with President Marcos Jr.'s priorities.

Mercado highlighted improvements made by PhilHealth in 2023 for members with chronic kidney disease stage 5, including expanding hemodialysis sessions from 90 to 156 annually and increasing the Z Benefit Package for peritoneal dialysis up to PHP1.2 million.

PhilHealth also increased its coverage for kidney transplantation benefits from PHP600,000 to PHP2 million.

As of May 21, PhilHealth has paid NKTI PHP161 million specifically for hemodialysis procedures, reflecting an increase in the use of this benefit package and making it the top-paid medical procedure nationwide in 2024.