Medicine Prices, PhilHealth and the Free-Medicine YAKAP Program — Buying Diabetes and Blood Pressure Meds in Bacolod

Medicine Prices, PhilHealth and the Free-Medicine YAKAP Program — Buying Diabetes and Blood Pressure Meds in Bacolod

In one line
A Korean husband living in Bacolod visits several pharmacies to buy a two-month supply of diabetes and blood pressure medicine, then explains why medicine is expensive in the Philippines, how health insurance works (PhilHealth, HMO, private insurance), and PhilHealth's free-medicine program YAKAP.

💡 Key takeaways

[Prescriptions and buying medicine]
• In the host's experience, one prescription can be reused again and again in the Philippines, and it can also be issued online. He says ID was hardly ever checked.
• Prescriptions are written by generic (ingredient) name, so you choose among brands (original or generic) at the pharmacy. Generics are cheaper.
• Even for common drugs, pharmacies were often out of stock, so he had to go to several.

[Prices by pharmacy]
• Southstar Drug: on the cheaper side, but only 1 of his 4 prescribed items was in stock. Metformin was 13 pesos per pill.
• A big chain pharmacy (after heading to Watsons): generic at 25.5 pesos per pill. Register as a member with your phone number to get a discount on Unilab products every purchase.
• Two-month supply total: 5,809 pesos, with a 300-peso promo discount on some medicines.
• The host felt the same medicine costs about twice as much as in Korea, blaming the lack of insurance coverage and reliance on imports.

[PhilHealth]
• Monthly premium is 500 to 5,000 pesos depending on income. Even with no income you pay 500 pesos a month, or you can be registered as a dependent of a family member.
• It covers part of hospital and admission bills but generally not medicine. Coverage rates drop at private hospitals and as bills get higher, he says.
• Host's examples: a simple 200,000-peso surgery gets about 10,000-20,000 pesos covered. His mother-in-law's 3-day stay for pyelonephritis cost 70,000 pesos, and he recalls PhilHealth covered about 5,000 pesos.
• The host sees it as "good to have" and says many low-income people can't afford even 500 pesos a month, so minor illnesses grow into major ones.

[YAKAP — PhilHealth free-medicine program]
• Open to any PhilHealth member: up to 20,000 pesos of free medicine per year. It started last July (as of the video).
• Apply through the eGov app → choose a hospital/clinic → consult a doctor → prescription issued through the GAMOT app → take the receipt-like slip to the pharmacy.
• Covers medicines such as diabetes, cardiovascular and hyperlipidemia drugs, only specific ones at specific pharmacies, he says.
• His in-laws didn't know about it either and registered this time. He says most ordinary people don't know it exists.

[HMO and private insurance]
• An HMO is insurance provided by your employer (an employee benefit). His mother-in-law's hospital bill was once fully covered through his brother-in-law's HMO.
• Private insurance (AXA, etc.) has expensive premiums but large coverage.
• The host recommends having all three tiers — PhilHealth, then HMO, then private insurance — to cover each other's gaps.
• Each insurance has designated hospitals, so even in an emergency you need to go to a designated one.

[Lunch]
• Edibowl: most dishes in the 200-peso range; a 2-person set for 550 pesos plus rice ordered separately came to 615 pesos for two.

⏱ Chapters
00:00 Out of prescribed meds, heading to the pharmacy
01:02 Prescriptions can be reused in the Philippines
02:06 Southstar Drug — only 1 of 4 items in stock
03:06 Buying at a big chain pharmacy, 5,809 pesos total
05:06 PhilHealth and the free-medicine program YAKAP
06:10 PhilHealth coverage and premiums
08:11 HMO, private insurance, and three-tier coverage
10:16 How to register for YAKAP (GAMOT app)

💬 What viewers said (108 comments)
• Many were surprised that prescriptions can be reused without ID checks, while others shared that it differs by pharmacy.
• Local tips included recommending Grace or Mercury pharmacies, noting HMOs can be joined individually, and urging people to get Maxicare or AXA insurance.
• Others expressed gratitude for Korea's national health insurance and cheered on the host's health management.