An official of the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday urged those who are not yet members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) but can afford to pay the P1,200 annual premium to enroll themselves.
In an interview here, Health Undersecretary Gerry Bayugo said there are some 4.8 million non-PhilHealth members who actually have the means to sign up with the agency on their own.
“They can afford the premium but they are not yet enrolled. They have to understand that once they register themselves, even their families will be covered by PhilHealth,” Bayugo, a doctor, said.
The 4.8 million individuals mostly belong to the informal sector that includes drivers, house helpers, farmers, fishermen and vendors, among other self-employed persons.
According to Bayugo, it will only cost some P40 a day to be a PhilHealth member.
“Some people spend more than that for their cigarettes a day. I just hope that instead of burning their money on cigarettes, they save it so that they can register with PhilHealth,” he said, adding that the benefits accorded a PhilHealth member far outweigh the premium they have to pay.
The enrollment of some 5.2 million indigent families and those in the informal sector was the primary goal of the DOH and PhilHealth when it came up with national registration day program called “PhilHealth Sabado.”
The first PhilHealth Sabado was held in October 2010 with the primary goal of giving out free PhilHealth cards to some 5.2 million families certified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development as “poorest of the poor.”
These are the families that have five members but earn a measly P3,600 a month.
Of the 5.2 million families, only 1.3 million families came to get their cards, prompting the DOH and PhilHealth to schedule “PhilHealth Sabado 2” in public schools across the country last June 25.
Those in the non-formal sector were also encouraged to register that day, but because of tropical storm “Falcon,” some schools in Metro Manila and nearby provinces went under floodwaters.
As a result, only 700,000 of the remaining 3.9 million families were able to get their PhilHealth cards.
Bayugo, however, assured these families that they could still get their PhilHealth cards as they are in close coordination with the parents-teachers association through the Department of Education.
He said registration continues even on regular days so those in the informal sector who want to avail of PhilHealth benefits could sign up with the agency through its field offices.
(source: Phil Star)
