PhilHealth should include urine test for detecting signs of kidney  disease – health advocate

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is urged to include a laboratory test that detects early signs of kidney disease in its ongoing Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) to curb the catastrophic costs of the illness, an advocate said on Friday.

Reynaldo S. Abacan Jr., president of Dialysis PH Support Group Inc., said that although PhilHealth has made progress in expanding benefits for people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the agency could do more on the prevention side.

Mr. Abacan urged PhilHealth to include the Urine Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio (UACR) procedure, a lab test that can detect early kidney damage, in its primary care program, YAKAP, as currently approved laboratory test.

“When kidney damage is detected through it, you can address it much earlier,” Mr. Abacan, who has been a dialysis patient for 15 years, told BusinessWorld in Filipino.

“This way, your future expenses will be reduced, and you can still protect yourself from the illness,” he added.

According to a 2025 study published in the Journal of Medical Economics, the economic toll of CKD in the Philippines is estimated at P593.73 billion, which comprises 41.18% of the country’s total healthcare spending in 2023.

Of the amount, P550.19 billion, or 44.4%, comes from household out-of-pocket expenses; P528.75 billion, or 42.6%, from government contributory financing schemes; and P161.35 billion, or 13%, from voluntary healthcare payment schemes, such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs).

“That’s why we support the inclusion of UACR in the YAKAP program. Yes, it will be costly at first, but in the long run, we can avoid around P100,000 in medical costs,” Mr. Abacan said.

UACR is a critical and highly effective test for detecting early signs of CKD, as it measures the amount of albumin—a protein normally found in the blood—in the urine, which can signal kidney damage even when symptoms are not yet present and estimated kidney function still appears normal, according to the US National Kidney Foundation.

As of this writing, the UACR procedure is not yet included in the selected laboratory tests under the YAKAP program, according to PhilHealth’s website.

BusinessWorld reached out to PhilHealth to ask if the inclusion of the procedure is in the pipeline, but the agency has yet to respond.

Apart from UACR, Mr. Abacan said that his organization, which has over 90,000 members, is also lobbying for the inclusion of other vital lab tests in the YAKAP program, including 2D Echo, ECG, and ultrasound, noting that these are costly for members to shoulder.

He added that the agency has been receptive to their lobbying efforts. — Edg Adrian A. Eva