PhilHealth hikes employed members’ premium

Those employed with monthly pay of PHP40,000 an above will have to pay PHP1,100 to avail the government health insurance program. (Photo by Philippine Health Insurance Corporation/Facebook)

TACLOBAN CITY— 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.