Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill 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. 
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, health spending financed through 
government schemes and compulsory contributory health care financing schemes 
was the largest among sources of health financing in the country in 2021. It amounted 
to PhP 546.64 billion or 50.3 percent of CHE. However, household-out-of-pocket 
payment (OOP) came a close second at PhP 451.00 billion (41.5%),  followed by 
voluntary health care payment schemes which contributed PhP 89.35 billion (8.2%). 
This proposed measure seeks to prevent medical expenses that can easily be inflated 
without price transparency. 
In view of this, early passage of this bill is sought. 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
May 22, 2023
11:39 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
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 the 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. 
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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. 
 
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,