Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho has been named acting president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) as the government pushes to expand healthcare coverage and benefits.
Ho takes over from Edwin Mercado, whom President Bongbong Marcos appointed as the new DOH secretary. Mercado replaces Jose Pujalte Jr., who stepped down less than a month after Marcos appointed him in July.
Ho previously served as chief health officer of Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. and held key positions at the DOH from 2022 to 2024, where she worked on public health programs and healthcare policy.
Her appointment comes as the administration moves to expand preventive healthcare, upgrade PhilHealth benefit packages and strengthen the country’s health infrastructure under the Universal Health Care program.
In his fifth State of the Nation Address, Marcos said the government would prioritize preventive care through PhilHealth’s Yaman ng Kalusugan Program, or YAKAP, in partnership with the DOH. The administration plans to accredit more clinics under the program to broaden access to preventive services.
Starting next year, Marcos said YAKAP will gradually cover additional blood tests and medicines to support the early detection and monitoring of kidney, liver, thyroid and Hepatitis B conditions.
He also said PhilHealth will widen coverage for diseases, medical conditions and healthcare services while increasing benefit limits to keep up with rising healthcare costs.
Ho now inherits the task of steering PhilHealth through these reforms while addressing long-standing concerns over benefit implementation, member access and coordination with healthcare providers nationwide.
