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Back to headlinesAugust 26, 2026, 1:00 AM PHT

Health · Universal Health Care

PhilHealth and St. Luke's Global City Sign Pact to Expand No Co-Payment Care

The agreement extends PhilHealth's No Co-Payment Policy to eligible patients admitted to basic or ward accommodations at St. Luke's Medical Center-Global City.

By FMB News DeskPublished August 26, 2026, 1:00 AM PHT2 min read
FMB News editorial visual for the PhilHealth and St. Luke's no co-payment agreementFMB News editorial visual
FMB News editorial visual accompanying coverage of the PhilHealth-St. Luke's Global City agreement; it does not depict the signing ceremony.FMB News editorial visualLicense details

Why this matters to Filipinos

FMB News connects the verified facts and evidence in this report to the decisions, costs, opportunities, and risks that may affect Filipinos, Philippine communities, and the country.

Editorial standard: Sources are listed below. Verified reporting, attributed claims, uncertainty, and analysis remain distinct.

Verified facts

What happened

PhilHealth and St. Luke's Medical Center-Global City signed a memorandum of agreement on August 25 to strengthen implementation of the No Co-Payment Policy for qualified PhilHealth members admitted to basic or ward accommodations.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the signing in Taguig. Government statements describe the partnership as part of efforts to expand access to affordable private-hospital care under the Universal Health Care agenda.

What patients should know

The policy is aimed at eligible PhilHealth members receiving care under covered basic or ward arrangements. Current official releases do not support treating the agreement as a blanket cashless guarantee for every service, accommodation type or St. Luke's facility.

PhilHealth has said it hopes more hospitals will adopt the No Co-Payment Policy. St. Luke's Global City committed beds for eligible patients under the arrangement.

Context

Context

The approved FMB News brief described the agreement as involving ₱1.4 billion in pending claims and a 30-day reconciliation mechanism. Those specific figures were not reproduced in the current PCO, PIA, PNA and DSWD releases reviewed by FMB News, so they are not stated here as independently verified terms of the agreement.

Filipino relevance

Why this matters

The agreement could reduce out-of-pocket costs for qualified patients who need specialized care available at St. Luke's Global City. Its benefit depends on clear eligibility rules, covered services and consistent implementation at the hospital level.

What to watch next

What to watch next

The practical impact will depend on implementation, patient eligibility and the scope of covered services. PhilHealth's push for similar agreements with additional private hospitals will determine how widely the model expands.

Sources and public record

Philippine Information Agency / PCO: President Marcos witnesses PhilHealth-St. Luke’s MOA signing to expand no co-payment policy for ward patients (August 25, 2026, 12:00 PM PHT)Philippine News Agency: PBBM: PhilHealth-St. Luke's pact to ease patients' financial burden (August 25, 2026, 12:49 PM PHT)