PhilHealth offers extension services in Hongkong

Legazpi City (8 September) — Mobile officers of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) were dispatched since August this year to Hongkong providing access and information to Filipinos on the agency’s membership updates and renewal, claims and benefits, and premium remittance concerns.

The task of PhilHealth mobile officers is to attend OFWs gatherings or meetings and coordinate with Filipino organizations in Hongkong to facilitate information drives promoting the agency’s programs and services.

They may also receive claim documents from OFWs admitted to any hospital in the country to help facilitate the processing of their reimbursements.

A confinement of an OFW shall be paid based on the benefit rates of a Level 3 hospital, with the validity period of his contribution being the eligibility requirement.

For a start, mobile officers will be sent to Hongkong, for two weeks once every three months, to popularize PhilHealth programs and services as well as render assistance to various health insurance concerns of our members in the former Crown Colony.

Dr. Rey B. Aquino, PhilHealth president and CEO, stated, “This is just the beginning, after Hongkong (which also extends services to nearby Macau), we shall replicate this project in other OFW-dense countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.”

PhilHealth, complementing its extension services overseas, also signed and entered into a Collection and Remittance Agreement with Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

Under the agreement, the two government banks were accredited as collecting partners for OFW premium contributions.

OFWs in Hongkong may pay their health insurance premiums through subsidiaries and remittance partners of the mentioned banks, ready to accept premium payments either for membership renewal, member re-activation or from new registrants.

Aside from Hongkong, DBP also has tie-ups in the Middle East, Singapore, USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Taiwan, Switzerland, Ireland, Cambodia, Australia and Korea.

According to Dr. Aquino, PhilHealth management will continue to evaluate and accredit institutional applicants for our overseas collection efforts to enable our two million OFW members update their contribution payments.

“Through updated premiums, they are assured of claims and benefits of accredited facilities in the Philippines or in hospitals abroad. It is our ultimate goal to provide more payment windows, especially for our OFW members,” he said. (PhilHealth V/PIA)