Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. JOY MYRA S. TAMBUNTING 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
A lot of Filipino families are just one medical bill away from poverty. In 2018, the out-of-pocket 
health expenditure accounted for 54% of the curren health expenditure of the country. Despite 
the passage of Universal Health Care Law (in 2019) which aimed to decrease out-of-pocket 
payments (OOP) and to make healthcare more affordable, OOPs remains to be the largest among 
health sources of health financing in the country. Considering the fact that healthcare is largely 
financed by households themselves, there is a need to ensure that they are protected from 
inflated out-of-pocket payments.  
This measure seeks to prevent unexpected medical bills and inflated out-of-pocket expenses by 
(1) informing patients about actual prices, (2) requiring health care providers, health insurance
issuers and self-insured group health plans to provide information about expected out-of -pocket
costs, (3) increasing access to data to make healthcare information more transparent and useful
to patients, (4) expanding the ability of consumers to choose healthcare plans, and (5) removing
public barriers to price transparency in the healthcare sector.
On behalf of the people of Parañaque City’s Second District, and for the common good of the 
Filipino people, the approval of the said measure is earnestly sought. 
REP. JOY MYRA S. TAMBUNTING 
2nd District, Parañaque City 
August 13, 2021
5:30 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. JOY MYRA S. TAMBUNTING 
AN ACT  
ENHANCING THE PATIENT'S RIGHT TO MEDICAL EXPENSE TRANSPARENCY AND 
PREVENTING UNEXPECTED MEDICAL BILLS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Medical Bill Transparency Act”. 
Section 2. Objective. – This Act shall aim to enhance the ability of patients to choose the 
healthcare that is best for them, by allowing them to make fully informed decisions about their 
healthcare, and the price and quality of a good or service in advance. It shall also be the objective 
of this Act to help prevent ‘surprise billing’ or patients receiving unexpected bills at inflated prices. 
Section 3. Policy. – It shall be the policy of the State to ensure that patients are engaged with 
their healthcare decisions and have the information requisite for choosing the healthcare they 
want and need. The government shall aim to eliminate unnecessary barriers to price and quality 
transparency; to increase the availability of meaningful price and quality information for patients; 
to enhance patients' control over their own healthcare resources, including health insurance 
coverage; and to protect patients from surprise medical bills.  
Section 4. Informing Patients about Actual Prices. – Within sixty (60) days of the date of 
this Act, the Secretary of Health shall craft regulations consistent with applicable law, to require 
hospitals to publicly post standard charge information, including charges and information based 
on negotiated rates and for common or shoppable items and services, in an easy-to-understand, 
consumer-friendly, and machine-readable format using consensus-based data standards that will 
meaningfully inform patients' decision making and allow patients to compare prices across 
hospitals.  
The regulation should require the posting of standard charge information for services, supplies, 
or fees billed by the hospital or provided by employees of the hospital. The regulation should also 
require hospitals to regularly update the posted information and establish a monitoring 
mechanism for the Secretary to ensure compliance with the posting requirement, as needed. 
The regulation should also require the detailed itemization of actual medical bills. 
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Section 5. Transparency in Health Insurance Coverage. – Within ninety (90) days of the 
date of this Act, the Secretaries of Health and Finance shall jointly issue regulations requiring 
healthcare providers, health insurance issuers, and self-Insured group health plans to provide or 
facilitate access to information about expected out- of-pocket costs for items or services to 
patients before they receive care. 
  
The Secretaries of Health and Finance shall, prior to the issuance of the regulation, issue an 
advance notice of proposed rulemaking, consistent with applicable law, soliciting comment on the 
proposal. 
  
Section 6. Barriers to Health Transparency. – Within one hundred and eighty (180) days 
from the date of effectivity of this 'Act, the Secretary of Health, in consultation with the 
Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Finance, the Philippine Competition 
Commission, and other relevant agencies shall issue a report describing the manners in which 
government rules and practice, or the private sector, are impeding healthcare price and quality 
transparency for patients, and providing recommendations for eliminating these impediments In 
a way that promotes competition. 
 
Section 7. Increasing Access to Data to Make Healthcare Information More 
Transparent and Useful to Patients. – Within one-hundred and eighty (180) days of the date 
of effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Health, in consultation with relevant agencies, shall 
increase access to claims data from taxpayer-funded healthcare programs, including those of the 
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, for researchers, innovators, providers, and 
entrepreneurs, in a manner that is consistent with applicable law and that ensures patient privacy 
and security.  
 
Access to this data shall be provided in a manner that will facilitate the development of tools that 
empower patients to be better informed as they make decisions related to healthcare goods and 
services. Access to this data shall also be provided in a manner that will enable researchers and 
entrepreneurs to locate inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement, such as patterns of 
performance of medical procedures that are outside the recommended standards of care.  
 
As part of this process, the Secretary of Health shall make a list of priority data sets that, if de-
identified, could advance the policies set forth by this Act, and shall report to the President and 
to Congress on proposed plans for future release of these priority datasets and on any barriers 
to their release.  
 
Section 8. Empowering Patients by Enhancing Control over Their Healthcare 
Resources. – Within one-hundred and twenty (120) days of the date of this Act, the Secretary 
of Finance, to the extent consistent with law, shall issue guidance to expand the ability of patients 
to select health insurance plans that cover low-cost preventive care and/or medical care that 
helps maintain health status for individuals with chronic conditions. 
 
Section 9. Addressing Surprise Medical Billing. – Within one-hundred and twenty (120) 
days of the date of this Act, the Secretary of Health shall submit a report to the President and to 
Congress on measures that can be taken to address surprise medical billing.  
 


Section 10. Non-Impairment Clause. – Nothing in this Act shall be construed to impair or 
otherwise affect the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head 
thereof; or the functions of the Secretaries of Finance and Budget and Management relating to 
budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.  
 
Furthermore, this Act shall be implemented consistent with applicable laws and subject to the 
availability of appropriations.  
 
Section 11. Separability Clause. – If any part or provision of this Act is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain in full force and 
effect.  
 
Section 12. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.  
 
Section 13. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,