GOVERNMENT regulators and policymakers have committed to institute fresh initiatives that would cut the out-of-pocket health spending of Filipinos using the two research papers released recently by the Unilab Center for Health Policy (UCHP), a program of Unilab Foundation, as guides.

The UCHP unveiled during an executive symposium last August 2 the results of its two studies, titled "Philippine health sector performance: An analysis using the national health accounts of 1990 to 2022" and "Provider payment governance in the Philippines: A proposal."

In his keynote address at the symposium organized by the Unilab Foundation, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa noted that these studies would provide crucial insights into the health sector's strengths and challenges.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Senate Committee on Health Chairman Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, and House Health Committee Chairman Ciriaco Gato Jr. also vowed to use the results of the UCHP studies as inputs in shaping policy directions that would reduce the out-of-pocket medical expenses of Filipinos, and promote better transparency and accountability in health spending.

Out-of-pocket payments have been consistently the biggest component of health care spending, accounting for 45 percent of the country's total health expenditure in 2022. The national and local governments' combined share was about 30 percent while PhilHealth accounts for only 14 percent.