Poor Families Getting Free PhilHealth Benefits Reach 14.7 Million

Manila – The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) said on Monday the number of poor families benefiting from free medical services have almost tripled to 14.7 million in 2014 from last year’s 5.2 million.

In a Malacanang press briefing, PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Alex Padilla said these 14.7 million poor and near-poor families are being nationally subsidized by the government.

“All of them enjoy the benefit of what we call no-balance billing from government hospitals. That means that they can go to any government hospitals that they are not supposed to be charged for anything, whether for medicines, for professional fees or any other expense,” he said.

Padilla defined a typical family beneficiary as one with children below 21 years of age, parents of 60 years old and over, and including incapacitated siblings.

He said persons who are poor and are not part of the listing of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or PhilHealth are evaluated if they fall under the poor category when they go to a government hospital.

“If so, we have a procedure, the point-of-care enrollment and that means to say that the hospital pays for the premium contribution and they will immediately avail of full PhilHealth benefits from the day that they are hospitalized,” Padilla explained.

Further, Padilla said PhilHealth has also expanded its benefits for the poor, including primary care package. (PNA) SCS/LDV