SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga–Beneficiaries of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is now at 12.62 million, which is 98% of the total 12.89 residents of Central Luzon, the agency’s region 3 office has just announced.
PhilHealth Regional Office 3 Branch Manager Arlan Granali said the 12.62 million are made up of both direct and indirect beneficiaries, 6.8 million of which are registered members and 5.7 million are their family member beneficiaries.
The success in number and percentage of direct and indirect beneficiaries was as of December 2023, Granali added.
With such milestone achievement by the PhilHealth Region 3 office, it has just celebrated on Feb. 28 its 29th anniversary themed, “Damang-dama ko ang Serbisyo,” held at Queen Pia’s Place restaurant in this city.
According to Granali, with the immediate eligibility “agarang paggamit ng benepisyo”, every Filipino can easily register to PhilHealth or update his/her record to any accredited health care provider upon confinement /admission, to be able to use her/his benefits.
From January to December 2023, PhilHealth had paid P17.5 billion claims to its partner care providers for the services they provided to their members, says Monifer Bansil, head of the public affairs unit of PhilHealth region 3 office.
PhilHealth Konsulta, or the outpatient usage of PhilHealth membership benefits, the agency accredited 310 Konsulta Providers regionwide (8% more than the 286 target for 2023).
As of December 2023, the agency paid P46.9 million for Konsulta services of its 1.6 million registered Konsulta members to their Konsulta facilities for them to be able to use their benefits for check-up, laboratory test, and maintenance medicines.
According to Bansil, the success of PhilHealth in providing health insurance to the Filipinos was made possible through the Social Health Insurance Education Series (SHINES) campaign to encourage more and more Filipinos to register and become members of the agency to qualify for the benefits.
Other enhanced benefits implemented in 2023 also includes expansion and institutionalization of 156 hemodialysis for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) 5 patients, increase in coverage for Ischemic P76,000 and P80,000 and hemorrhagic stroke, increase in coverage for high risk pneumonia P90,010 from P32,000 and Increase in coverage for cataract surgery per month (per doctor) from 50 to 200 surgery per month.
For the outpatient benefit package for mental health–PhilHealth has already provided for General Mental Health package—screening, assessment, diagnostics, follow-up visits, psychological support and medicines worth P9,000 while similar benefits and care for Specialty Mental Health Service Package, including psychotherapy worth P16,000 per person.
For this year, according to Granali, they are aiming to surpass all the achievements and successes of the PhilHealth Region 3 office.
During the anniversary celebration, PhilHealth Region 3 also launch its Reel-Making and Digital Poster Making competition for students to help them further enhance their membership and beneficiary targets to all the 12. 89 million residents in the region.
The competition which seeks to promote PhilHealth’s “Magseguro! Mag 4M na!” advocacy, pushes the 4M–”Magparehistro, Mag-update ng record, Magbayad ng Kontribusyon at Mag-claim ng Benepisyo”.
Granali told NEWS CORE that all Filipinos are automatically members and beneficiaries of PhilHealth. Those who are not yet members but need hospitalization can benefit from PhilHealth but will have to pay the membership contribution after the hospitalization.
