Resumen - EN
The poor state of health care system in the Philippines highlighted the increase commercialization and liberalization of the health sector at the exclusion of the poor population groups from access to health care. The Universal Health Coverage Bill has been approved by the Congress of the Philippines but is yet to be signed into law by the President. The planned coverage under the bill is dependent to tax and is therefore vulnerable to revenue shortfall which in turn could further exclude millions of Filipinos from health services. This calls for alternative models to deliver accessible healthcare services. This study explores health maintenance cooperative as an alternative through the Cooperative Health Management Federation (CHMF), the first health maintenance cooperative in the Philippines. In this paper, the sustainability of the model, its prospective role in implementing the SDG on good health and well-being for everyone, and major challenges are assessed.
