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Dubai: Under Philippine law, Filipino expatriate workers must pay a 3% monthly premium to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) this 2020 for health coverage.
The increase in PhilHealth premiums covers all overseas Filipinos, including their dependents. It was rolled out late last year.
On April 22, the state-owned health insurer published a detailed circular explaining the tiered contributions and collection of payment from overseas Filipino members.
Who is covered by the recent PhilHealth circular?
All OFW working or residing overseas, including those who are on holiday or waiting for their overseas work documents, whether they are unregistered or registered with the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).
Why was the circular issued?
PhilHealth stated that circular only clarifies details of the law that provides for the collection of PhilHlealth premiums from Overseas Filipinos (as stated in Circular 2019-009 re: Premium Contribution Schedule in the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).
Image Credit: PhilHealth
Who are the Overseas Filipinos (OFs)?
By law, it means Overseas Filipinos (OFs) and their dependents:
- Land-based OFWs
- Seafarers and other sea-based workers
- Filipinos with dual citizenship (RA 9225)
- Filipinos living abroad
- Overseas Filipinos in distress
- Other overseas Filipinos not previously classified elsewhere
What is the basis of computation of the 3% PhilHealth premium rate to be paid this year by OFWs?
It’s a tiered payment, which gradually increases each year from 2019 to 2025 — 2.5% in 2019, 3% in 2020, 3.5% in 20201, 4% in 2022, 4.5% in 2023, 5% in 2024 and 2025.
By law, there is an minimum (floor) income of Php10,000 and a maximum income of Php60,000 this 2020. By next year, the minimum stays the same, but the ceiling gradually increases by P10,000 each per year from 60,000 in 2020 to 100,000 in 2024/25.
What does this mean?
This means that if your monthly salary is >Php60,000 (Dh4,430) per month, your monthly premium will be computed only against that Php60,000 ceiling- – Php1,800 per month, or Php21,600 per year.
The maximum income, however, will gradually increase to 100,000 by 2024, by which time the monthly premium will be Php3,000 or Php36,000 annual.
What is a PhilHealth case rate package for COVID-19?
It’s a rule that sets the maximum amount that the state insurer will pay for the treatment of a patient for a certain ailment.
In case a patient falls ill, hospital charges over and above that amount stipulated in the case rate package must be borned by the patient out of pocket — or through a personal health insurance.
Does PhilHealth pay for treatment of COVID-19 patients?
Yes. The national health insurer currently pays all the hospitalization and treatment costs incurred by patients who contracted SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the acute respiratory disease.
How much is covered for COVID-19 treatment?
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said PhilHealth benefits for COVID-19 cases would cover medical expenses ranging from P8,150 for testing to P786,834 for critical cases of pneumonia.
Last month (April 8), Duterte said that the coverage of the benefit packages both for COVID-19-related pneumonia and community isolation will undergo a 30-day review to adjust the rates.
How much is the cover for different categories under the new package for COVID-19 patients?
PhilHealth coverage for COVID-19 patients is arranged into four categories, depending on the severity of condition.
Coverage will be based on the following:
- mild pneumonia – P43,997 (Dh3,248.72)
- moderate pneumonia – P143,267 (Dh10,578)
- severe pneumonia – P333,519 (24,626)
- critical pneumonia – P786,384 (Dh58,066)
PhilHealth president and CEO Ricardo Morales Morales explained that the package was so designed since pneumonia was a serious complication brought about by COVID-19.
It was enforced on April 15. It also means that PhilHealth will still cover all costs incurred by patients hospitalised prior to that date.
How much did PhilHealth allocate for COVID-19 coverage?
In April, PhilHealth has announce a P30 billion allocation for hospital reimbursements covering COVID-19 patients, for which P6 billion had already been disbursed, Morales said.
Php 30
b
amount allocated by PhilHealth for COVID-19 related health insurance expenses.
He assured hospitals that PhilHealth was already coordinating with the banks to expedite the fund releases. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office last month stated that it would transfer about P420.6 million to PhilHealth to cover its COVID-19-related packages.
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