LEGAZPI CIT Y--The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) regional office in Bikol has set March 31, 2009 as deadline for the 1st quarter contribution among individually paying members.
PhilHealth assistant vice president Orlando Inigo Jr., said all individually paying members includes self-employed and voluntary members are once again reminded to pay their contribution on or before the deadline.
“It is important to pay your contribution on time since retroactive payment for Individually Paying members is not allowed,” Inigo said.
He said that a grace period of 60 days after the deadline of the missed quarter is permissible though. “A member is only allowed to use the grace period once a year, thus, on time payment is still the best option.”
In case of hospitalization, the premiums paid on the latest quarter prior to the confinement shall be the basis for determining the eligibility in benefit availment.
However, according to Inigo, maternity cases, cataract extraction and certain operations, the member has to have at least three quarterly payments within one year prior to the month of availment to avail the benefits.
In terms of benefits, members will now enjoy as much as 35 percent increase for hospitalization fees and professional charges of physician starting May 1 this year. Members of PhilHealth in the different programs of the corporation will also enjoy increases in hospital and room board fees and even more than 100 percent in other benefit items.
As in the case of drugs and medicines for Case Type B illnesses or his dependent will now have a maximum allowable amount of P9,000 per single period of confinement up from the previous amount of P2,500. (PNA)