PhilHealth to Employers: Remit Premiums on Time

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation in Region 7 (PhilHealth -7) urged employers in the region from the government and the private sectors to observe a punctual remittance of the monthly premium contributions of their employees.

PhilHealth made this call following the reimposition of the two-percent penalty on delinquent employers.

Laarni Joy Allanic, chief social insurance officer of PhilHealth-7, said it is the responsibility of the employer to comply with their obligation to pay for the monthly premium contributions.

Employers automatically deduct these monthly premium contributions from the monthly basic salaries of its employees.

Under the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the National Health Insurance Act of 1995 (Republic Act 7875), monthly premium contributions of employed members shall be remitted by the employer. However, contribution payments remitted beyond the deadline will be charged automatically with a two-percent monthly interest.

Since early 2000, there was already an implementation of this penalty but it was abolished and later reimposed in 2013 in order to enhance the collection of premium contributions.

Allanic also reminded the employers to regularly update the member data record (MDR) of their employees so as not to encounter any problem during in times of hospitalization involving their family members.

Meanwhile, PhilHealth has given out about 500 emergency kits to hospitals in Metro Cebu area.

These hospitals are Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), Perpetual Succour Hospital and Visayas Community Medical Center (VSMC) in Cebu City and Eversley Child’s Sanitarium and General Hospital in Mandaue City.

Each emergency kit contains a face towel, sanitizer, flyers and brochures of PhilHealth which contains information on its programs and advocacy.

The distribution of these kits is part of PhilHealth’s 22nd Anniversary.

PhilHealth-7 reported that as of December 2016, it has already 6,076,376 members in Central Visayas. (rmn/clm/ PIA-7)