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Stakeholders’ empowerment: Group asks Philhealth to consult OFWs about proposed health insurance claims via internet; says it’s ‘not a new idea but worth pursuing’
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 15:11
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Press Release
22 August 2012
Stakeholders’ empowerment
Group asks Philhealth to consult OFWs about proposed health insurance claims via internet; says it’s ‘not a new idea but worth pursuing’
A Filipino migrants’ rights group in the Middle East Wednesday welcomed the idea of having a system on health insurance claims for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) using the internet as a medium but doubt the feasibility of the said proposal by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or popularly known as Philhealth.
On Wednesday, Philhealth president and chief executive officer Dr. Eduardo Banzon issued a statement saying that the government premier insurance corporation has a ‘plan to install by next year a system that will allow OFWs to simply submit online their individual claims for repayment.’
Reacting to the said Philhealth plan, Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said, “This is not a new idea as this was proposed long time ago, nevertheless it is worth pursuing. However, we could not easily say it is feasible unless we have seen the details of the implementing mechanism of the proposed OFWs health insurance claims via internet.”
Monterona suggested that the Philhealth, to practice participatory management, must conduct extensive consultations among OFWs and the various Filipino communities abroad as primary stakeholders and even their dependents back home.
“Most of the OFWs now are internet savvy aside from OFWs who are IT professionals and experts. They may have better ideas that would lead to a highly feasible and OFW-friendly health-insurance-claims system via internet,” Monterona added.
Monterona cited the verification and authentication of the medical abstract, certificates, receipts and other related documents, which he said could not be done via internet.
“If Philhealth would require the submission of the original medical documentary requirements to OFWs kin or dependents in the Philippines, then our OFWs would spend an amount to send these documents by courier, which imply an added expense or cost,” Monterona noted.
“The plan to have an online-health-insurance-claims system could not rationalize the illegal, unjustifiable, added-burden, and anti-OFW health insurance premium increases on succeeding years from 2012 and 2013,” Monterona averred.
Monterona dares the Philhealth managers to be transparent on the real Philhealth financial status by publicly publishing its financial statement.
The OFW leader also scores PNoy and his presidential adviser on OFWs concern Vice President Jejomar Binay for not even asking Philhealth a justification why it needs to increase OFWs health premium.
“If PNoy does not want to overburden us, OFWs and dependents, then he should have question Philhealth imposition of increasing OFWs health insurance premium through his Department of Health secretary who chairs Philhealth Board of Directors,” Monterona added.
Monterona clarified that their group has an on-going protest against Philhealth imposition increasing OFWs annual premium from the previous P900 to P1,200 effective January 1, 2012 and will be doubled to P2,400 at the start of 2013.
“We will intensify our campaign against this illegal, unreasonable, only an added-burden Philhealth insurance premium,” he concluded. # # #
Reference:
John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator
Migrante-Middle East
Mobile No. 00974 33 20 5565 / 0063 923 420 0112
2012-08-22 15:01:45
Source: http://migranteme.blogspot.com/2012/08/stakeholders-empowerment-group-asks.html
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