This year’s first issue of the Philippine Journal of Development features articles on healthcare quality in hospitals, health financing, social health insurance benefit payments, and persons with disabilities. The first article measures the capacity of public and private hospitals in the country to provide high-quality health care based on their structural inputs. The second article analyzes the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) performance as the national strategic purchaser of health services, a role envisioned for it under the Universal Health Care Act. The third article examines the incidence of PhilHealth premium contributions and benefit payments by socioeconomic classes and age groups. The last article discusses the indicators valued by persons with disabilities and their families in Valenzuela City, Philippines, and how these manifest as they participate in the wider community.
