IP beneficiaries get health insurance

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Households belonging to Indigenous People or Ips, who are living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) could now avail themselves of the National Health Insurance Program benefits from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.

These IPs are covered by the modified conditional cash transfer, or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-6.

The MCCT program was designed to reach out to families who are poor and more vulnerable and disadvantaged but are not covered by the regular CCT, due to their exclusion in the enumeration of the National Household Targeting System or Listahanan, a house-to-house assessment of poor households.

Presently, there are 1,671 IP households covered by the MCCT program in Western Visayas. Of this number, 687 families are in Aklan, 621 in Negros Occidental, and 363 in Antique. In addition, there 8,917 IP households covered by the regular CCT.

As Pantawid beneficiaries, these IPs are now entitled to the Primary Care Benefit Package, consisting of Tamang Serbisyo sa Kalusugan ng Pamilya (Tsekap), Inpatient and Outpatient Care services, and the No Balance Billing policy privilege for confinements due to medical conditions and surgical procedures under the case rate system.

To avail themselves of the NHIP benefits and services, all MCCT beneficiaries need to present their Pantawid Pamilya-MCCT identification cards or their PhilHealth’s member data records.

Qualified beneficiaries are those with children, aged 0-18 years old and/or, with pregnant members of the family at the time of selection, they must comply with the program conditions and cooperate in the helping process. They must also be excluded from the NHTS database and the 4Ps.

Direct grants given to family beneficiaries (not exceeding three child dependents) are P300 per month for education of each child enrolled in day care, pre-school and elementary; education grant of P 500 per month for each child enrolled in high school; and health grant of P 500 for each beneficiary household.

Meanwhile, an interaksyon.com report yesterday stated that the “Senate passed on third and final reading a bill seeking to declare August 9 as National Indigenous Peoples Day.”

Senator Loren Legarda, cultural communities chair, said the celebration would “underscore the important role IPs play in nation-building, while recognizing and protecting their rights and causes ... as cultural heritage.” —  (FREEMAN)