Dear Nene,

How are you?

First, we would like to inform you that together with other kababayans³ I miss your advisory column Ayon kay Nene very much. May I also inform you I have kept past issues of Munting Nayon and have used them several times to answer some questions of our kababayans. I am happy that your column is now available on the Munting Nayon website.

Last month, I was finally confronted just like others who have experienced it before me to send emergency money for my mother who was sick and had to be hospitalized for pneumonia. My sister called me in the middle of the night (7:00 AM Philippines time) to tell me to send urgent money to be used as deposit in the hospital where my mother was confined, otherwise it would have constrained the hospital from doing ALL the needed laboratory examinations and treatment. I was told that the new hospital confinement procedure is, before they admit a patient all initial laboratory examinations or procedures are done in the emergency room. One needs to have Philhealth or medical insurance coverage, otherwise one pays for laboratory exams prior to the initial treatment or put up an immediate deposit.

I had to swallow my pride, call long distance and borrow money from a friend of mine in the Philippines so she could advance the money with my promise to pay her the next day. I had to send urgently the amount my mother needed via express transfer which was more expensive compared to the way I send her money regularly.

Do you know of some other way(s) where I and other kababayans can avoid such things from happening i.e. the matter becoming urgent compared to the situation here in The Netherlands where one does not have to worry about money matters when one is sick and needs to consult a doctor or has to be confined in a hospital?

Sincerely,

Melinda (not my real name)

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Dear Melinda,

I am well and fine except that I am busy with work and volunteer service that are keeping me from regularly contributing to Munting Nayon. Thank you for your appreciation which keeps me motivated to continue helping you and others.

Re your question, there are solutions to the problems of medical insurance coverage in the Philippines that you can avail of, for your parents and relatives. You can encourage them to avail of Philhealth medical insurance and/or other medical insurance conveniently available when they get sick or for medical emergency purposes. All they have to do is to go to the local public managed medical insurance office called Philhealth or private medical insurance offices to request for assistance in explaining the services they can provide for medical consultation or for hospitalization. Your immediate family members and relatives can do this whether they are employed (in the Philippines or abroad), temporarily employed or even when they are unemployed.

Let me focus on the problem with the hospitalization of your mother who is 67 years old. Ask your brother who is currently employed and registered with SSS to fill up a form at SSS/Philhealth registering your parents as dependents and beneficiaries. Since your mother is already beyond the age of 60, she is therefore qualified to be a dependent/beneficiary parent. Philhealth requires an NSO issued birth certificate, NSO issued marriage contract of the parents as attachments. 

In case of sickness, the Philhealth member can ask a form from the hospital where the parent dependent is confined to be filled up by the member to facilitate the processing of the claim. There are also attachments required.  If one is an employed member in the Philippines, he/she can get the certification of premium payments from his/her employer. 

One may also be a voluntary member of SSS and Philhealth. If one contributes as a voluntary member, then he/she has to submit the proof of payment received by Philhealth for the period covered of at least six months prior to the confinement of his/her parent dependent.   One may pay a year in advance for a full year’s membership contribution with a minimum amount of Pesos 100 per month or pay quarterly as required.

In the case of being married to an overseas contract worker (OCW) the spouse can only claim for his/her parents only and not for the OFW's parent.  The spouse can pay the premiums on behalf of the OFW.  In case of claim for the spouse's parent, the OCW can issue a special power of attorney (SPA) certified by the consul where the OCW works allowing the spouse to represent her/him to process Philhealth claims.

Furthermore, those with unemployed parents below 60 years old should register their parents immediately as voluntary members and pay their premiums in advance on a yearly basis so that when their parents get sick they can use their own Philhealth insurance coverage. Parents who are paying members up to the age of 60 and beyond are covered for lifetime. At the age of 60, all they need to do is fill up the Philhealth change of status form which declares them as retired members.  An NSO issued birth certificate is usually required as attachment.

In addition, request your brother or your sister to ask your parents to register at the Office of the Senior Citizen at the City Hall.  There is a form to be filled up and 2 ID pictures to be submitted. After 30 days they get their identification card (ID) which entitles them to a 20% discount on all hospitalization charges that can likewise be used for the purchase of medicines and pay out-patient-clinic charges, discounted taxi fares and discounted hotels/restaurants charges in the Philippines.

I highly encourage you to ask your family in the Philippines to go to SSS/Philhealth and other medical insurance service providers to make the necessary inquiries so that the next time any of parents get sick, at least you have a day or two as lead time to send them money to augment what the medical insurance in the Philippines has covered. Sadly, the system is non-comparable to the Netherlands situation where there universal coverage for all legal residents and almost 100% payment for valid claims or claims within the stipulations of one’s insurance coverage.

Kind regards,

Nene

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¹ The title of the column is Ayon Kay Nene. Nene is the nickname of Dr. Corazon Dee, Chairperson of Economic Resource Center for Migrants and Overseas Employees (ERCMOVE). This column focuses more about personal and organizational problems related to financial and economic matters shared by Filipinas and Filipinos who are in contact with ERCMOVE and are readers of Munting Nayon in The Netherlands or Europe. Nene will try to respond to the questions or request for advice to find solutions directly applicable to their personal problems which are actually linked to the social and economic problems of the country.

² Most of the information about Philihealth were provided by Telefora Liangco, HR manager of one of the training hospitals in Davao City, Philippines. Information given here are not legally binding. Updated information should be accessed directly from the Social Security System (SSS) and Philhealth.

³ Kababayan is aTagalog word which means persons who come from the same country and in this case those who come from the Philippines.

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