TACLOBAN
CITY, Dec. 4 -- The Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation (PhilHealth) has announced the adjustment of premium contributions
for employed members starting next year in the bid to sustain the country’s
National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).
During
Monday’s multisectoral forum, Rosario Suyom, chief of PhilHealth health care
delivery management division said the monthly premium contributions will be at
the rate of 2.75 percent or .25 percent higher than the current 2.5 percent.
“The
adjustment is necessary to sustain enhancement to program benefits and to
effectively respond to growing health care financing needs of members,” Suyom
said.
The
amount is computed straight based on the monthly basic salary, with pay ranging
from PHP10,000 to PHP40,000. The amount is equally shared by workers and their
employers.
Under the
new adjustment, those earning PHP10,000 and below will pay a monthly premium of
PHP275. Those with monthly salaries of above PHP10,000 up to PHP40,000, the
health insurance premium ranges from PHP275 to PHP 1,099.
Those
employed with monthly pay of PHP40,000 an above will have to pay PHP1,100 to avail
the government health insurance program.
Additional
funds generated from higher premium will be used to finance senior citizens
benefits, expansion of Z-benefits for catastrophic illness, primary care
benefits coverage of non-indigent members, and enhanced case rates.
Categorized
as employed members are those with formal contracts and fixed terms of
employment including workers in the government and private sector, whose
premium contribution payments are equally shared by the employee and the
management.
PhilHealth
emphasized that it needs the support of all its members in order to achieve its
mandate to provide social health insurance coverage to all Filipinos and to
sustain the NHIP.
In 2016,
PhilHealth paid PHP101 billion for the benefit expenses of its members and
collected PHP103.7 billion in premium contributions.
In
Eastern Visayas alone, the state-run corporation is eyeing to pay PHP4 billion
in health benefits his year. (SQM/PNA)
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