Philosophical 11

As most of you will now know, Phil Health for us foreigners will cease on 1 Jul and will be replaced by a new contract. In situations like myself, I have paid up for 12 months ending in December this year. However, this will be terminated on 1 Jul and will then need to consider my options. The new contract as no doubt you will know is far more expensive at 17k pa for those on a Tourist Visa (from memory) and I am told the current benefits are greatly reduced. I have received a document this morning which outlines these new reduced benefits but have yet to open it.

So what are the alternative options.? Wing it and hope you never get seriously ill? Put a small savings by each month in case something happens further on down the road? Pay for the new contract? Or obtain different health/medical insurance which may be more expensive but better value for money?

My mind is open at the moment. I am currently thinking in terms of accruing savings for expensive medical treatment backed up by credit card if necessary.

However, I know that there are insurance companies out there who can offer coverage for large medical bills. No doubt they will be expensive but I would prefer to pay more for better coverage rather than be held ransom by Phil Health.

Perhaps we can have some thoughts on the subject and recommended companies here for us all to consider.

Regards

Pete M

quiltman

Hi Pete,
Pain in the backside, but my problem is that virtually no insurance company will accept me as i'm 74 and my wife has a few pre-existing conditions. did get couple of quotes but they were horrendous - from $1000 - $2000 a MONTH!
Will have to bite the bullet, pay the new PhilHealth AND save something each month. We have deliberately kept our credit cards very low for just this eventuality. I've had nothing from PhilHealth yet so if your letter does outline what benefits we will be getting is there any chance you could scan it and post it here for the rest of us? Many thanks,
Gary

Philosophical 11

Hi Gary,

Yes, I think I got similar quotes when I last checked. But I am only a whipper snapper at 68! But I will research further.

My lovely lady is taking an interest in insurance and went to a seminar a few weeks ago. Might get "mates rates!".

Anyway....I have reproduced the document to read at your leisure. Not read it yet but I have seen comments on another forum which says its basically the same as before. But no longer covers the Z list which sounds like the expensive medical bills such as heart problems, cancer and so on.

https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circul...c2017-0003.pdf

Regards

Pete

Gazza-d

So no Philhealth if you are on a Balikbayan unless you can get an ACR card as you can no longer get coverage under your spouse.

David Mashael

Thanks for the upload Pete. Is there a list of the actual benefits detailing what is covered available anywhere?

mikemike

We are stuck with a very short sighted action. I have calculated that after being hospitalised 3 times that on each occasion the billing came to about 20,000 pesos. I was not covered at that time by Phil health and if i had been the reduction would have been about 5000 pesos. Net cost if I had paid it would have been 15000, or net cheaper than the annual insurance premium. I think the break even point comes in at about 55,000 pesos gross on costs under the new regime. If your costs are higher than 55,000 then it may be viable to pay the 17,000.

What type of insurance can be bought for 55,000 pesos pa equivalent of uk terms about 1000£pa

Quotes I have had for cover with heaps of exclusions and I am a baby compared to some of you guys is horrid at 500£pm!!!

I have made it clear that if i get something that looks that bad then i am to be buried in the flower boxes along with our dear departed dog.

The family may not need to pay any premium to get their cover as the proposal is they may get it for free.

conclusion is that the annual premium of 2500/3000 for family cover, funded by the foreigner, may just stop being paid and Phil health get nothing at all and still rebate up to 30% of some of the family costs.

I can live(die) with that once they have confirmed this staggering act of stupidity.

David Mashael

I presently have AXA PPP out of UK, but it is very expensive, approx £500 pm. I will not renew when my current policy is up for renewal. Instead I am looking Blue Cross based on the attached quote. May be of interest to some of you.

quiltman

Thanks Pete, I had already downloaded a copy of this but it was not over clear on the list of Benefits, except it excluded the Z benefits. i'm in town next week so I'll go into the PhilHealth office and see If I can find out exactly what we get, or don't, as the case may be.

quiltman

I had looked at this but for my wife and I it comes out at $1459 per month! Plus existing conditions are subject to evaluation - i.e price goes up. Ah well, Philhealth, save a bit and credit cards it will have to be.

David Mashael

How did you arrive at that figure. Major cover for a 74 yr old is $4,050 pa.

Stokkevn

I am sure I read somewhere ( I think ) that the retirees who are here on the PRA SRRV visa will get lot cheaper Phil Health premium. Having said that I now can not find where I found that again.

tropicofcancer

The difference is P15,ooo against P17,000, as an ACR-I card holder, I must pay the higher premium.
I went to the PhilHealth in SM Consolacion, a few weeks back. In an endeavour to find out, what the entitlements were. I left knowing no more, than when I went in. I will be going to the Danao office in the near future.
It looks as though my wife will continue, with her contributions, and mine will be separate.
From what information is available. It seems that a lot of outpatient costs, will be covered now. The MRI scan, blood tests, urine analysis etc. It would have been beneficial, after leaving hospital. When I had tests every three months.
I note that medication whilst in hospital, will be paid. Which would have been significant, when 3 x P4,500 and 3 x P3,000 IVs were needed, on separate occasions. Other medications cost about P1100 a day last time.


Let me say that PhilHealth do pay out, when disaster strikes. Which was a pleasant surprise, when taking past experience of insurance, into account. That was in UK: Storm Damage, Break in whilst on holiday, Hit by drunk driver. Leaving me heavily out of pocket.


As Quiltman said before, Philhealth contribution, is deducted, from the final bill.


On my last admission PH paid 33% of my consultant (2) fees. The hospital Chong Hua (old) gave Senior Citizen discount against medication, and other, where applicable.


If anyone has a definitive list of benefits. I for one, would very much like to see it please.

quiltman

It's on the document that Pete posted, towards the bottom.

quiltman

Standard cover for my wife and I comes to $17523 a year which equates to $1460 per month. Yes, major cover is less at $551 per month - thats approx 27,000pesos per month. Their website says on your link for the Seniors plan - Major is $250,000 mx, Standard is $500,000 max but the Premier Seniors plan from Pacific Cross: http://www.pacificcross.com.ph/PCWSe...016-10_web.pdf
(Blue Cross is now Pacific Cross)
says max is up to 1.5 million pesos for each disability for the LIFETIME of the insured. This plan , in a semi-private ward would cost my wife and I 102,102 pesos per year. This is a more manageable figure equating to approx $174 per month or approx 8500pesos. Need to do some comparisons and calculations! May contact them with my wifes conditions and see what they will include, exclude and charge more for. Will report back in due course!
We went on holiday to Hawaii two years ago and MAPFRE covered all my wifes conditions for 14 days for $110 - very good when the last UK insurance for Canada was over $500 and excluded her heart condition!
It's a pain getting older.......................

David Mashael

[QUOTE=quiltman;

It's a pain getting older.......................[/QUOTE]

Isn't that the truth. In my case they have agreed that they will continue with any existing conditions after checking the situation with my existing health care insurers AXA PPP.