PhilHealth YAKAP: 25 Most-Asked Questions, Answered (2026)

Yes — YAKAP consultations, laboratory tests, and cancer screenings are free for PhilHealth members, and medicines are covered up to P20,000 per beneficiary per year. Below are direct answers to the 25 questions members ask most, based on official PhilHealth circulars and advisories.

Cost and Eligibility

The short version: YAKAP is free for every PhilHealth member and qualified dependent, but you must register with one clinic first.

1. Is YAKAP free?

Yes. Per the Presidential Communications Office, laboratory tests and cancer screenings are free of charge, and the medicine benefit is covered up to P20,000 per patient annually.

2. Who is eligible?

All PhilHealth members. The official YAKAP page lists 12 covered categories: government and private employees, kasambahay, indigents, PWDs, self-earning individuals, lifetime members, 4Ps beneficiaries, infants, OFWs, solo parents, senior citizens, and children under 21.

3. What does YAKAP stand for?

Yaman ng Kalusugan Program. It covers four benefit areas: primary care checkup (KONSULTA), laboratory (LABORATORYO), medicines (GAMOT), and cancer screening (SCREEN).

4. Is YAKAP the same as Konsulta?

YAKAP is officially the evolution of PhilHealth Konsulta, per PhilHealth Circular No. 2025-0017. Earlier versions of the same benefit were called PCB1, EPCB, and Tsekap.

5. Do I pay anything at the clinic?

No — covered services at your registered YAKAP clinic cost nothing. Services outside the list may still be charged, so ask first.

What Is Covered

YAKAP covers consultations, 13 laboratory tests, up to 75 medicines, and screening for the four top cancers.

6. What lab tests are free?

Thirteen tests, per GMA News' YAKAP explainer:

CBC with platelet count
Lipid profile
Fasting blood sugar and oral glucose tolerance test
Hemoglobin test and creatinine
Chest X-ray and sputum microscopy
ECG and urinalysis
Pap smear, fecalysis, and fecal occult blood test

7. What medicines are free?

Up to 75 essential medicines under GAMOT. On February 18, 2026, PhilHealth added 54 medicines to the original 21 — covering common maintenance drugs for hypertension, diabetes, asthma, infections, and high cholesterol.

8. What cancer screenings are covered?

Four: breast (free mammography and ultrasound), liver (alpha-fetoprotein test), lung (low-dose CT scan), and colorectal (colonoscopy).

9. Is there an annual limit?

Medicines are capped at P20,000 worth per beneficiary per year. The pharmacist tells you your remaining balance each claim, per the official YAKAP steps flyer.

10. Are the 75 medicines available everywhere?

Not yet. The expanded list started in Metro Manila and Cebu, with expansion to other regions such as Region 4A planned within 2026.

Getting Started

You must complete four steps in order: registration, clinic selection, First Patient Encounter (FPE), and empanelment.

11. How do I register?

Get your PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN) via the Member Portal or any LHIO, then select a YAKAP clinic through the eGov PH app, the Member Portal, any PhilHealth office, or the clinic itself. Our step-by-step registration guide has the details.

12. What is the First Patient Encounter?

The FPE is your first visit of the year where the clinic records or updates your basic health data to identify health risks. Officially, it is not a medical consultation — but without it, you cannot access any YAKAP benefits.

13. What is empanelment?

The formal care relationship between you and your clinic after the FPE, per PhilHealth Circular No. 2025-0017. Once empaneled, you stay with that clinic for at least a year unless you transfer.

14. What is the YES I have to sign?

The YAKAP Empanelment Slip — also called the Mutual Care Agreement — required since January 1, 2026 and re-signed annually. Since May 2026 the digital YES is the primary platform per PhilHealth Advisory No. 2026-0029: a second facial liveness check serves as your digital signature.

15. What is the facial scan at the clinic?

The PhilHealth Check Utility (PCU) liveness check. It verifies your identity before your FPE and at every consultation. If you are not PhilSys-registered, bring a valid government ID for manual validation.

16. Can a clinic refuse me?

No — clinics cannot reject beneficiaries who selected them unless they have reached their declared beneficiary limit. See how to choose your YAKAP clinic.

Medicines and Labs: How to Avail

Everything flows through your registered clinic: the doctor orders labs and prescribes medicines, then you claim them at partner facilities.

17. How do I get free medicines?

Your YAKAP doctor prescribes through the GAMOT App. Go to any accredited GAMOT pharmacy (look for the GAMOT-provider signage), show your prescription or UPSC code, and sign the GAMOT Availment Slip.

18. How do I get free lab tests?

Your doctor orders them during a consultation. If a test is not available at the clinic, you are directed to the clinic's partner diagnostic laboratory — still covered.

19. Can I go straight to a pharmacy or lab without a consultation?

No. Benefits require a prescription or lab order from your registered YAKAP clinic. The clinic is your first contact and coordinator for all care.

Dependents, Transfers, and Common Concerns

Dependents get YAKAP too, and you can switch clinics — with timing rules.

20. Are my dependents covered?

Yes. Qualified dependents include your non-member spouse, unmarried and unemployed children below 21, children 21+ with a total disability, foster children, and dependent parents 60+ or with permanent disability. They must be declared in your Member Data Record. Details in our YAKAP family guide.

21. Can my child register alone?

No. For minors, a parent or legal guardian handles registration, clinic selection, and signing the YES. From age 18, beneficiaries transact independently.

22. Can I transfer clinics?

Yes. If you have not done your FPE yet, transfer anytime at the nearest LHIO, effective immediately. If already empaneled, you can only transfer in the fourth quarter, effective January — except for clinic closure, accreditation revocation, or a DOH cease-and-desist order. Full details in how to transfer YAKAP clinics.

23. Does my clinic have to be near me?

Generally yes — within a 30-kilometer radius of your declared residence or office. Choosing farther is allowed but strongly discouraged. Mobile units and telemedicine-only providers cannot be your YAKAP clinic.

24. What happens if I skip my FPE this year?

You are not retained by your clinic for the following year and must re-select. Empaneled members (FPE done) are automatically retained unless they transferred in Q4.

25. Does the eKonsulta shutdown affect my benefits?

No action needed from you. eKonsulta is PhilHealth's old clinic-side system being retired as clinics move to certified electronic medical record (EMR) providers — a switch PhilHealth says makes it easier for patients to access YAKAP benefits. Many YAKAP clinics now run on modern EMRs like RecordKo, built for YAKAP end-to-end, so your records and claims flow smoothly behind the scenes.

The Bottom Line

YAKAP gives every PhilHealth member a free healthcare home: register, pick a clinic, complete your FPE, sign the YES — then enjoy free checkups, labs, cancer screenings, and up to P20,000 in medicines yearly. One habit to build: visit your clinic at least once a year.