All About Work, Womanhood

Nationa Health Insurance Program – Benefit Or Burden?

  • Sumo

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or Philhealth is the national health insurance program of the Philippines.  All employees are by default members of this health insurance because the monthly premium is automatically deducted from the salary. Employers also give their share by adding an at least equal amount as the employee’s share to the total premium. The employee and employer’s shares depend on the salary bracket of the employee. 

Ever since I joined the work force ten years ago and became a member of this insurance program, I had only one chance to benefit from my ten-year old premiums to this institution. That was when I gave birth. But not that much. I was one of those ignorant members (actually it was not me but my husband) who was asked to sign a waiver (which they did that while I was still sleeping) by the hospital that they will get my claims in my behalf and that the claims were already deducted from my bills in full and I would no longer claim for any reimbursement. But the amount that they would claim was not stated in the form. Yet they only deducted Php4,000(~$100) from my total bill.  I think it was the hospital which benefited from my contributions. I suggest keeping away from this kind of hospital. I learned later on that this kind of practice is prohibited.

As I mentioned, I don’t get much benefit from the national health insurance program of the government. I’d rather use my company issued Medicare plan than to bother myself to file for Philhealth claims. With the health insurance provided by the company, I only need to present the issued health card and my company id and affix my signature to the slip whenever I need to see a doctor. Aside from consultation and hospital package, I am also entitled of limited dental services and laboratories. Most of all, I don’t get deducted for this health insurance. It is free for employees like me because the premium is 100% shouldered by the company. Isn’t that great? But not all companies provide benefit like this. And I thank God because I have such benefit.

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