Philhealth ups case rates for 100 kinds of illnesses

By Peter A. Balocnit

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) targets to increase case rates next year for 100 kinds of illnesses, expand membership to 21 years of age for enrolled and graduating students; and check if employers regularly pay Philhealth contributions of their employees.

Rommel Aranca, Kalinga Philhealth team head said this was the result of their recent planning workshop at Clark, Pampanga last week among other things to improve their services.

He said they will direct employers to encode their employees’ membership premium benefits through the electronic premium reporting system or EPRS as their link while illnesses covered under case rate will be known later.

To check whether employers comply with their obligation to enroll their employees, he said they will strengthen their coordination with regulating agencies like the Department of Labor and Employment, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Trade and Industry, local government units to map out employers and ensure that employees enjoy their Philhealth benefits provided by law.

“The law provides for the compulsory enrollment of employees by employers under Philhealth,” Aranca said.

For unemployed and not enrolled  students 21 years of age and above, the national government through Philhealth, is considering  to enroll them in 2013 under the sponsored groups,” Aranca said.

Also by next year, “Oplan Suyod” will be done or the house-to-house visit to check on multiple families who are not yet enrolled. “There are households with 2 and more families living in one house, so we have to have them enrolled,” Aranca said.

After covering this year the municipalities in Kalinga for the Philhealth Mobile Orientation, Verification of Enrollment Scheme (PMOVES), Aranca said they will move on next year to employed, self-employed and other membership category to update their membership profiles.