City, PhilHealth inks MOA for 30T residents

CEBU, Philippines -  The Cebu City government and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation yesterday signed a memorandum of agreement for the free health insurance coverage of the 30,000 poor residents of the city.

The barangay officials have recommended a total of 38,045 “poorest of the poor” to become the beneficiaries of the project, but Mayor Michael Rama said the number would be trimmed down by 8,045.

The mayor tasked Cathy Yso, head of the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), to make a final evaluation to identify those who will be enrolled to PhilHealth. Their monthly contributions will be shouldered by the city and PhilHealth.

The signing of the MOA by Rama and PhilHealth vice president William Chavez was witnessed by several City Hall department heads and was described by the mayor as a landmark agreement for the health care services of the underprivileged people in the city.

Yso said one of the procedures in choosing the beneficiaries is the monthly income of both the husband and wife should not exceed P10,000.

The existing 2,887 families that are beneficiaries of the 4P’s program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Cebu City automatically become beneficiaries of the free PhilHealth coverage.

Under the scheme, PhilHealth will shoulder the P600 of the beneficiary’s annual contribution, while the other half would be shouldered by the city. Once the PhilHealth members or any of their dependents are confined in hospitals, parts of their bills will be shouldered by the PhilHealth.

For example, if the PhilHealth members or their dependents get confined in third level hospitals like Chong Hua, PhilHealth will pay P500 up to P1,100 room accommodation everyday for a period of 45 days, depending on the illness.

If the PhilHealth members or their dependents are confined in category 3 hospitals, the government insurance firm will pay from P4,200 to P40,000 for drugs and medicines, and P3,200 up to P30,000 for laboratories and others.

The qualified dependents are the legitimate spouse, legitimate, legitimated, illegitimate or adopted children below 21 years old and parents who are more than 60 years of age if they are not Philhealth members.

City administrator Jose Mari Poblete explained that even if the city will enroll most of indigent families to PhilHealth, the city will continue to upgrade the Cebu City Medical Center for the benefits of others who may not be enrolled to PhilHealth. (FREEMAN)