Philippines Health Insurance: How to Choose the Right Plan

If you’re thinking about travelling or even moving to the Philippines, you want everything to go as smoothly as possible. This is an exciting opportunity, and you want to have the best time you possibly can. In this article, we will help you understand some of the important things you need to know about Philippines health insurance.

How does Philippine Health Insurance Work? The Basics

If you’re look for health insurance in the Philippines, you have a large number of both private and public options. In the public system, healthcare facilities range from small health stations and offices all the way to large government funded hospitals and medical centres.

The Philippine Department of Health oversee programs, policies and services, as well as setting the standards of healthcare and regulating healthcare facilities.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth, provides risk protection and healthcare to all Filipinos. Some of the benefits include consultations, access to some medications and hospital access. This implements health programs like immunisation campaigns and family planning, and also aims for improvement in areas like mental health and nutrition.

Private Healthcare in the Philippines is much more advanced than public healthcare, as it provides far higher quality and specialised care. Generally speaking, patients with private health insurance get access to better facilities and medical services. There are also many options for private health plans that allow for more flexibility when structuring your insurance.

The disparity between those who can afford private health insurance and those who cannot, is reflected in rural and urban areas. Those in less isolated areas of the country generally have less access to funds and high-level health facilities. There is also simply a far higher number of doctors and facilities in urban areas.

How to Sign Up for PhilHealth

If you’re going to be in the Philippines, having health insurance can give you peace of mind. As such, it’s a good idea to sign up for PhilHealth. Here are some of the steps:

Confirm eligibility. PhilHealth is available for all Filipino citizens and overseas workers, as well as permanent residents, as well as some non-Filipinos if they meet certain criteria.

Prepare your documents. You’ll need a valid ID, and likely your passport and proof of address.

Visit a PhilHealth office. There are many of these in the Philippines. You can locate your nearest one on the PhilHeath website. Be sure to bring your documents with you.

Complete a PhilHealth member registration form. This will ask you for basic details like name, address, birthdate and contact details.

Submit your form. Submit your completed PhilHealth Member Registration form to initiate your membership.

Pay your required premiums as specified by PhilHealth. You can now receive a PhilHealth Identification Number or PhilHealth ID card.

From this point, you will need to keep your details up to date. Be sure to familiarise yourself with all your benefits.

Private Health Insurance in the Philippines

For those who do have enough money, private health insurance will most likely provide you more options. If you’re thinking about getting private health insurance in the Philippines, here are a few things to consider:

Family plans. There are many private health insurers that will offer family health insurance. This will lead to larger monthly fees than individual plans, but after considering all deals and add-ons, you’ll be able to assess whether you can find a better deal than if you insured all your family individually.

Do age and medical record matter? Most health insurance companies will take your age and medical record into account when calculating your fees. Younger people who have no history of significant health ailments will most likely be offered cheaper packages than older people with established health issues.

What about emergencies? If you require immediate healthcare because of a sudden accident, you will have to pay extra. However, many insurance plans will come with the option to add emergency services that will usually increase the price. You should always be as vigilant and thorough as possible when considering your insurance plan options to get yourself the best possible deal.

Add-ons. Many health insurance plans will include general services like laboratory tests and general check-ups. But some also offer add ons like dental care.

How to Choose International Health Insurance in the Philippines

In the Philippines, the quality of healthcare available is highly dependent on your location. In the country’s larger cities like Manila, healthcare standards tend to be very high, whilst quality healthcare is very sparse in the more rural areas. Despite significant steps being taken to improve healthcare all over the Philippines, for now, expats living in rural areas often need to consider adding medical evacuations to their health insurance. It is quite common for expats living in the Philippines to receive medical care in places like Singapore and Thailand, as they have better medical facilities in many cases.

There are some benefits to healthcare insurance as a foreigner in the Philippines. International plans usually have higher annual benefit limits and local plans generally come with restrictions, like per-visit benefit limits.

When selecting your insurance provider, keep these things in mind, because there is a good chance you will find more benefits the more you look around. Perhaps you want to be covered for dental, pregnancy issues or even cancer. Compare the market, get yourself the best deal.

One excellent tool to compare the market with is Best Expats Cover. They help to find the best health coverage for you in the Philippines.

Popular Healthcare Companies in the Philippines

We have put together a small list of healthcare companies that have a lot of members and benefits. This is merely a starting point though, and we highly recommend you look into as many companies as you need to find the deal best suited to you.

Sun Life offers coverage up to the age of 100!

Maxicare has more than 20000 affiliated doctors.

MediCard will get you access to 5-star hospitals with many of their plans.

IntelliCare has amassed over a million members since it began in 1995.

Pacific Cross provides a number of different plans for people travelling to the Philippines.

Conclusion

When choosing your health insurance plan in the Philippines, you need to know what health benefits you want, and how much you’ll be able to pay. Do you need to cover more than one person? How long will you be in the Philippines for? What benefits do you need? Always be as thorough as possible when doing your research so you can make the most informed decision. We hope you find a deal that suits you!

If you are planning to start a family in the Philippines, consider factors like pregnancy and healthcare costs.

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