The Philippines has an increasing number of newly diagnosed cases of human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Most Filipinos rely on out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure to finance their healthcare needs. In 2010, the Philippine National Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) introduced an Outpatient HIV/AIDS Treatment (OHAT) package to cover the necessary basic healthcare expenses of patients. The objective of this study was to review the OHAT package in terms of patients’ financial risk protection, specifically the amount of OOP expenses incurred and the package's support value.

The study was divided into two phases: (i) patient surveys (PS); and (ii) facility costing surveys (FCS). PS focused on information from enrolled and non-enrolled patients, specifically their current financial needs and expenses. The FCS reviewed actual cost breakdown for each treatment hub of package inclusions.

The calculated maximum support value of the package in 2015 was 267 percent. The median annual patient OOP expenditure was PHP 4,700 (USD 91). Maximum expenditure reached as high as PHP 392,000 (USD 7,551) per year mostly due to treatment for opportunistic infections (OIs), which are currently not included in the package. High OOP expenditure was also due to non-uniform coverage of services across different hubs; there was no consensus among providers on what specifically should be included in the package. This reflected a variety of package support values, with some hubs falling below patient expenditure.

The current OHAT package, if properly implemented, is sufficient to cover the basic yearly healthcare needs of patients. However, non-uniform implementation and variation in prices of services per treatment hub means that coverage is not always sufficient in all areas, which can cause continued high OOP expenses for patients even with insurance coverage. Furthermore, coverage of OI's as the main driver of increased OOP expenses should be explored.