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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Health firm registers 306,087 members in Cordi
THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) in Cordillera continues to serve the public with its regular and sponsored programs to ensure that the poor would be accorded basic medical and health services.
Philhealth information officer Magnolia del Rosario said a total of 306,087 regular and sponsored cardholders in the region were already registered. The regular members are those directly paying their premiums to Philhealth, including government and private employees, voluntary paying individuals and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), while the sponsored members are non-paying sector that comprises the retirees, pensioners and indigent members.
Baguio City has the highest number of regular cardholders with a total of 88,208; followed by Benguet with 36,726; Abra - 17,861; Mountain Province - 11,185; Kalinga - 10,099; Ifugao - 7,817; and Apayao with 4,351, for a total of 176,247 members regionwide
The Philhealth-registered government workers regionwide is now 50,639; private sector - 57,733; individually paying members - 60,431; OFWs - 11,502; while enrolled retirees and pensioners now total 5,079.
Del Rosario explained that "Medicare Para sa Masa" cardholders are either sponsored by local government units (LGUs), through the local chief executives, congressmen, National Government agencies, private organizations, individuals and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
The PCSO has earmarked a budget as premiums to enroll 2.5 million families nationwide. Of the figure, Cordillera has a share of 50,553 families to be enrolled, with 48,820 families already admitted as of last month.
Del Rosario added that under the "Medicare Para sa Masa" program of Philhealth, a total of 120,697 families were already registered by the agency. Baguio has the highest number with 94,608 households followed by Benguet with 57,766; Abra - 44,718; Ifugao - 37,063; Kalinga - 26,904; Mountain Province - 23,030; and Apayao - 12,845.
She said that during the first semester of 2000, Philhealth took revolutionary steps in making the program truly responsive to the needs of its indigent members, resulting in the enhanced "Medicare Para sa Masa" program, the main feature of which is the introduction of the second phase of program implementation or the outpatient consultation and diagnostic package.
The program is now implemented in two phases: Phase 1 for the regular in-patient and outpatient in accredited hospitals and Phase 2 for the outpatient consultation and diagnostic services in accredited rural health units and/or health centers.
Under Phase 1, a member will be entitled to hospitalization at Philhealth-accredited hospitals with the following benefits: room and board, services of health care professionals, laboratory and other examination services, prescription drugs and biologicals, surgeon's fee, anesthesiologist's fee, operating room fees, ambulatory surgeries and procedures, including dialysis, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and TB Dots.
In the Phase 2, a member can avail from accredited rural health units or health centers the following: free primary consultation, free laboratory examinations for complete blood count, chest x-ray, stool exam, urinalysis, sputum microscopy for TB suspects and other preventive health benefits, including blood pressure monitoring and visual acetic acid examination for screening of cervical cancer.
Del Rosario also explained that on-paying members who are entitled to lifetime coverage include retirees and pensioners of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System (SSS), including permanent total disability and survivorship pensioners of the SSS, prior to the effectivity of Republic Act (RA) 7875 on March 4, 1995 as well as members who have reached the age of retirement and have paid at least 120 monthly contributions.
However, she said that optional retirees (under RA 1616, Presidential Decree (PD) 1146 or PD 1184) are not yet entitled to lifetime coverage until they reach the age of retirement or at 60 years old.
Continuing advocacy programs are being conducted by the agency through the help of the media in the region to further inform the public and make them realize their benefits being a Philhealth member, she added.
(August 23, 2006 issue)
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