DOH subsidizes PhilHealth of 12,094 indigent families

By Lito Dar

BAGUIO CITY - The Department of Health has sponsored the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) coverage of 12,094 indigent families in Cordillera.

Cordillera regional DOH director Myrna Cabotaje bared this saying this was in line with Presdient Aquino’s health agenda or Universal Health Care (UHC) program,

Cabotaje said the fund grants to provincial local government units in the region including Baguio City, amounting to P7,558,700, was in support of the National Health Insurance Program for indigent families and part of the UHC’s financial risk protection component.

Cabotaje said the 12,094 beneficiaries were already enrolled during the National Philhealth Registration Day held Oct. 2, 2010.

They were pre-selected based on the National Household Targetting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR).
Abra had 3,122 beneficiaries; Apayao, 1,685; Benguet, 1,350; Ifugao, 1,540; Kalinga, 2,239 and Mountain Province, 1,980 and Baguio City, 178.

“The Philhealth coverage of the indigent family beneficiaries were already paid upon by their respective LGUs and now we have already prepared the checks for the DOH subsidy and ready for release or distribution,” Cabotaje said.

Cabotaje added the DOH, in partnership with PHIC and the different provincial LGUs, will look for additional indigent family beneficiaries for the program since out of the P7,558,700 allotted fund from the DOH Central office, the Philhealth coverage of the 12,094 beneficiaries only totals to P5,390,400.

“There still remains a balance of P2,168,300 and we have already requested to the office of PHIC regional vice president Leo Douglas Cardona to enroll additional indigents listed in the NHTS-PR, to increase the health insurance coverage in the region and at the same time to fully utilize the said funds,” Cabotaje said.

Cabotaje said there is a plan to increase the funding for the program this year to reach out to more indigent families.

She urged LGUs to enroll additional indigent families so that the region will attain the goal of having a Universal Health Insurance Coverage.