PhilHealth to Launch Stricter Yakap 2.0 Program Amid Fraud Concerns

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) is working on the enhanced Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (Yakap 2.0) with improved policies and a stricter verification process, PhilHealth president Beverly Lorraine Ho said Wednesday. During the House budget hearing, Ho said Yakap 2.0 is the result of its consultation and feedback from various stakeholders. “We will be coming up with our Yakap 2.0 enhanced policies, and that's a result of all the consultations and all the feedback that's coming from the ground,” Ho said. Among the improvements are the use of biometrics to verify the actual patient and the inclusion of the healthcare provider claiming on behalf of the patient in the eGov app. The improvements are being done amid reports that some local government units (LGUs) allegedly used the program for fraudulent activities such as enrolling residents without their knowledge and using the funds for anomalous transactions. YAKAP is an enhanced primary care benefit package covering consultations, indicated laboratory and cancer screening tests, and even prescribed essential medicines. Earlier this year, PhilHealth included screening tests for the four top cancers: breast, liver, lung, and colorectal. YAKAP also offers free consultations, 13 free laboratory procedures, and 75 free medicines. —RF, GMA News