THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Thursday called on the private sector to partner with the state health insurer to fill in the gap of more than 4,000 Yakap (Yaman ng Kalusugan Program) health care providers across the country. Speaking at The Manila Times Executive Health Forum at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel on Thursday, PhilHealth Vice President of Corporate Affairs Group Walter Bacareza said many private health care providers were apprehensive of the Yakap program because of so many requirements. “So my point is, there is a space for [the] private sector to fill in that gap, please supply that gap,” Bacareza said. He added that PhilHealth has already made reforms in paying its member hospitals, noting that the state health insurer has already paid faster than the 60-day mandate under the law. Bacareza also said that additional reforms made by PhilHealth include the doubling of benefit packages, the removal of a single period of confinement, the removal of the 45-day limit in enjoying PhilHealth benefits and some benefits being expanded including for hemodialysis and pneumonia. Bacareza said with the state health insurer having a P129-billion budget for 2026, they are urging private health providers to “provide the supply side” and that PhilHealth is there ready as a “buyer.” He also said that they will put up billboards and posters at hospitals to remind them that all Filipinos are immediately eligible for the national health insurance program, coming from an anecdote that a media personality was denied having his claims processed. “If you were not given a service in that facility, text us or email us, there’s a QR code there, and it will go to our corporate action center or call center,” Bacareza said. He is also hopeful that private hospitals would also open up 10 percent of their ward facilities to the No Balance Billing program. “They will strictly enforce the 10 percent no balance billing because they saw that we pay faster, and we are able to reconcile the accounts. We are also looking at ways to incentivize private and government hospitals as long as they follow the law,” Bacareza said.