Written by Rachelle D. Samin
Published April 14, 2022
As more areas are now under Alert Level 1, many colleges and universities are planning to hold in-person classes at full classroom capacity. Students returning to campuses are required to be fully vaccinated and to have medical insurance.
Malacañang announced on March 11 that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) should ensure students joining the face-to-face classes are registered with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) or any medical insurance which covers expenses for COVID-19. This mandate was cited in Resolution 164 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
Student councils opposed the mandatory medical insurance saying it would discriminate against those without the capacity to comply. On March 21, The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) urged the government to fund the health insurance of students, teachers and other education stakeholders.
NUSP President Jandeil Roperos said the government is passing its responsibility to the students. She added that even if medical insurance is not required in some schools, students need to sign waivers to be able to participate in physical classes.
“Kung hindi ‘man required ang insurance, nagbibigay sila ng mga waivers sa mga estudyante na mag face-to-face na hindi nila sagot if ever mag-positive ang student sa duration ng face-to-face classes. So, very opposing siya sa panawagan natin to safely open more schools now,” the student leader said.
(If medical insurance is not required in some schools, students need to sign waivers attending face-to-face classes that they will not shoulder expenses if [a] student tested positive during the face-to-face classes. So, it’s opposed to our call to safely open more schools now.)
Roperos also stressed that even if the students can avail of insurance from PhilHealth, this will not suffice, as it only covers a certain expense depending on the package rate provided by the state insurer.
Starting on April 15, PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales said the coverage of COVID-19 hospitalization costs for Filipinos will be categorized based on the severity of cases. For mild pneumonia, the rate is ₱43,997; ₱143,267 for moderate pneumonia; ₱333,519 for severe pneumonia; and ₱786,384 for critical pneumonia.
How can students apply for PhilHealth?
Under the Universal Health Care (UHC), all Filipino citizens are members of PhilHealth. However, they have to register at any Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) along with a duly compiled PhilHealth Member Registration Form, birth certificate, and valid identification card (ID). To ease the burden of processes in LHIO, particular schools like the University of the Philippines (UP) have made special arrangements with PhilHealth to facilitate the registration of the students.
The students can opt to enroll as direct or indirect contributors of PhilHealth. Direct contributors are those who have the capacity to pay the premium contribution of Philhealth, which is a minimum of ₱300 per month. On the other hand, indirect contributors are members who do not have the capacity to pay the insurance contribution, such as the senior citizens, members of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, indigent citizens, sponsored and financially incapable.
Based on PhilHealth policy and UHC laws, individuals who are 20 years old and below can be considered dependents of their parents or legal guardians. Meanwhile, 21 years old and above shall have to register on their own as principal members unless disabled or incapable to work and pay the premium contribution.
The government said students from age 21 and above may apply as indigent members if they have no visible means of income. However, they have to secure a certificate of indigency from their city or municipal social welfare office where they are residing.
For the Person with Disabilities (PWDs), they shall register with the local government unit (LGU) through the PhilHealth Registry for PWD (PRPWD). The LGU will then forward their application to the Department of Health (DOH). Once listed in the PRPWD, they are no longer required to pay the premium contribution of PhilHealth.
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