PhilHealth Tacloban and Ormoc offices now open to serve; issues policy on fortuitous events

In just two weeks after Typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc in Eastern Visayas, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced that its local health insurance offices in the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc are now up and running to serve the health insurance needs of members and non-members alike.

PhilHealth fulfilled its promise to open the two leading offices Monday, November 25, after suffering from heavy damage from strong winds and storm surges.

"We are back in operation in these two major cities for the benefit of our members and partners, thanks to our resilient and dedicated team in Region VIII"PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander A. Padilla said.
PhilHealth earlier assured the public that at least seven of their local health insurance offices and service desks in Southern Leyte, Samar and Biliran are still up and running despite the severe damage and very unusual situation that their employees are in.

"These offices can perform membership registration and verification concerns (without online inquiry due to power outage) and receiving of benefit claims and premium contributions, except for the service desks" Padilla said, adding that members and partners can contact their Yolanda Action Center at (02) 441-7425 to 26 for PhilHealth’s disaster recovery, rehabilitation and support efforts in the area.

The PhilHealth Chief also said that to institutionalize their response during fortuitous events of such magnitude, PhilHealth has issued a policy that will serve as their template of response to ensure continuing health care benefits during such "acts of God".

In its Circular 34, s-2013 dated November 15, 2013, PhilHealth will pay claims of members and non-members and accredited and non-accredited hospitals and professionals during such events.

"We will even extend filing period for claims to 120 days from date of discharge, make exemptions to the less than 24-hour confinement rule, and even reimbursement for destroyed claims" Padilla stressed.

The Circular also allows for extension of deadline of premium payments and/or existing coverage as prescribed by PhilHealth, among other. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more