Common discrepancies in documents submitted
Requiring the submission of additional documents to support a claim sometimes annoy PhilHealth members. The document evaluators and reviewers, however, cannot do otherwise but return for compliance or just deny the application, simply because of non-compliance or inconsistency of documents, for they cannot just effect changes, correction or alter the documents.
In one case, an OFW client who's about to return to Taiwan applied membership under Overseas Workers Program. When her name was encoded, the data base records revealed that her name was listed as Indigent member. She was advised to request for amendment of her membership status but she refused. It was later discovered that the record she is using is that of her sister.
In another instance, the Cashiering Unit amusedly recalled a surviving spouse going wild when asked to submit a Death Certificate, a requirement for check replacement, to claim the check of her deceased husband. Arrogantly, she presented a picture, a coffin, she insistently asked if that could not just be enough proof, to prove the death of her husband?
There was also a claimant who argued that he had been advised by his lawyer to just present a Power of Attorney to claim his father's refund from PhilHealth. The deed was captioned as General Power of Attorney and yet the content of which is specific authority to sell a property. Indeed, it was a Special Power of Attorney, and though it vested no authority to transact with Philhealth, the agency extinguished upon the principal's death. Eventually, PhilHealth required him to submit a waiver from his other siblings authorizing him to claim.
These are just some peculiar incidents in attending to clients that are happening in various divisions/units day to day. PhilHealth noted the most common discrepancies in the documents submitted, to wit:
Birth Certificate is required during application of voluntary members. In its absence, any two valid IDs can be presented. Other members are also asked to submit this document of birth if patient is a child-dependent where the child's name, age, and paternal acknowledgment or filiation can be construed. It is also required to parents declared as dependents when they are aged 60 up.
Marriage Contract is a proof to support inclusion of one's spouse as dependent. There are members who already have in their Member Data Record the name of their spouse but request for amendment, requesting inclusion of another spouse, change of surname, by presenting a Marriage Contract. Eventually, they falsified by declaring themselves as single, to contract the subsequent marriage. Worst, a member presented a notarized affidavit, that a former spouse is just a common-law one.
There are members who omit or change the spelling of their names from what are inscribed in their Birth Certificate, as Luis instead of Jose Luis or Luisa for Ma. Luisa, and change the spelling of Antonio for Anthony or Marianne for Marian. The likened names are being used instead of their real names written in their Birth Certificate or Marriage Contract. Thus, on their Identification Documents, as well as in filling out the PhilHealth Forms their names are inconsistent, though, it referred to the one and the same person. Thus, PhilHealth instead requires Affidavit of Two Disinterested Persons or an Affidavit of Discrepancy on Name or a sworn Manifestation.