PhilHealth defers premium rate hike implementation

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced on Friday it deferred the supposed implementation of its new premium rate of P200 from July 1 to October 1, this year.

PhilHealth earlier said it will increase the premium rate by 100 percent from P100 or equivalent to P1,200 a year to P200 or P2,400 a year effective July 1.

In a phone interview Friday, PhilHealth social insurance officer III Johanna Blason said the postponement of the supposed implementation of the new premium rate came after several overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) requested a review before it is fully-implemented.

"Naay request ang mga grupo sa OFW nga istadihan ang increase (There were groups of the overseas Filipino workers who requested the central office to review the increase)," she said.

PhilHealth considered that the immediate implementation of the higher premium rate this month will affect some of its voluntary members who consist 32 percent in the agency's total members.

"Ang deferment para mahatagan sila og chance nga makabayad (The deferment is to give voluntary members chance to pay before the implementation)," she said.

Blason said voluntary members, comprised of OFWs, individually paying and employed members, can still pay in full the fees for the remaining months of 2012 and for the whole year of 2013 at P100 a month, the current premium rate, before October 1, 2012.

"On October 1, i-implement na gyud namo ang increase (On October 31, we will impose the 100 percent increase)," she said.