House leaders defend MAIFIP P51B aid hike

House appropriations panel chairperson and Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Suansing on Tuesday said that reducing the funding for the Medical Assistance for Indigents and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program will deprive aid to over a million beneficiaries.

Suansing issued the statement in the after Bicameral Conference Committee agreed to increase the MAIFIP funding to P51 billion which is higher compared to the the House (P49 billion) and Senate (P28 billion) proposals.

“In 2025, the number of beneficiaries given the GAA (General Appropriations Act) amount of P41.2 billion was 3.3 million beneficiaries. If the House version (of the MAIFIP 2026 budget) is not adopted, this would reduce the number of beneficiaries by 1.1 million. Ganoon po katindi ang potential impact,” Suansing said.

(That is the gravity of such a reduction.) 

House Deputy Speaker and Ilocos Sur Rep. Kristine Singson-Meehan, for her part, said the MAIFIP strengthens the implementation of the universal health care (UHC) program given that PhilHealth coverage on hospital bills does not cover a significant amount of the hospital bill.

MAIFIP aid can be used in both private and public hospitals, regardless of the nature of the illness, including through use of guarantee letters issued by public officials. The PhilHealth package, on the other hand, varies, depending on the nature of the sickness.

“MAIFIP fills critical gaps where insurance coverage, for example Philhealth’s, is insufficient or unavailable. Maintaining strong MAIFIP funding supports UHC by ensuring that no patient is denied care due to cost,” Singson-Meehan said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News