162T Capiceños benefit from gov’t insurance program
ROXAS CITY – More than 162,000 Capiceños have health insurance coverage under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Capiz Provincial PhilHealth Manager Joe Frederick Diaz disclosed that as of December last year, a total of 162,417 Capiceños are already members of the government’s health insurance program.
Diaz said that under the health insurance indigency program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, about 70,507 were enrolled by the various municipal, citry and provincial government units of Capiz.
He pointed out that the enrolment in the said insurance indigency program has reached more than the required target poorest of the poor population to be considered as universal health insurance coverage which is only 85 percent of the province’s indigents.
“Our enrollment in the PhilHealth’s indigency program in Capiz is more than 200 percent of the target poorest of the poor population based on the 2008 National Statistics Office projected population of 775,346,” Diaz said.
He revealed that aside from the 70,507 enrollees under their indigency program, records last year showed that PhilHealth had 16,594 enrollees for the employed sector, 33,125 members in the private sector, and 29,839 voluntary and self-employed members.
On the other hand, they have also enrolled 9,108 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and 3,244 lifetime members or pensioners, Diaz said.
He stressed that despite the wide coverage of the helath insurance program in Capiz, they continue to reach more Capiceños for said program so that more Filipinos would be able to avail of the many benefits offered under said social development program of President Arroyo, particularly for the poor.
Among the benefits offered by said health insurance program include allowances for hospital room and board fees from P300 to P1,100 per day up to 45 days per year; drug and medicines from P2,700 to P40,000 and allowances for X-ray and other laboratory examinations from P1,600 to P30,000 per single period of confinement; use of operating room complex and even professional fees of attending physicians. (PIA/Jemin B. Guillermo)
