CEBU CITY, Philippines — Completing requirements, such as securing a membership from some agencies, is one of the crucial things that a fresh graduate or soon-to-be employed person should take care of.
To a newly hired employee, registering in PhilHealth and getting a PhilHealth ID is among the requirements of some companies.
How does one become a member of PhilHealth? First, let’s get to know what PhilHealth is.
What is PhilHealth?
According to its website, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth, is a tax-exempt government corporation attached to the Department of Health for policy coordination and guidance, and among its functions is to administer the National Health Insurance program.
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So when registering for PhilHealth, it is important to know the kind of membership you are applying for whether formal, informal, lifetime, or for senior citizens among others.
Types of membership
Formal economy
The members of the formal economy include government employees, owners of micro enterprises, small, medium, and large enterprises, household help, and family drivers, among others.
Besides those who render for the government, formal economy members also include private employees or those who work for non-profit organizations, corporations, and professional or charitable organizations based in the Philippines.
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Moreover, eligible private employees also include foreign business organizations based outside the Philippines with agreement with the corporation to cover their Filipino employees in PhilHealth.
Informal economy
Among the members of the informal economy include migrant workers, the informal sector (pedicab and tricycle drivers, market vendors, small construction workers, etc.), and self-earning individuals.
Moreover, under this type of economy are the Filipinos with dual citizenship, and citizens of other countries who are working or residing in the Philippines.
Lifetime members
According to PhilHealth, the lifetime members include those people aged 60 years and above, uniformed personnel aged 56 years and above, and Social Security System (SSS) underground miner-retirees aged 55 years and above.
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Besides their age, these people must have paid at least 120 monthly contributions with PhilHealth, and the former Medicare Programs of Social Security System (SSS) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
Meanwhile, lifetime members also include those SSS and GSIS pensioners prior to March 4, 1995.
Senior citizens
The senior citizens aged 60 years and above who reside in the Philippines, and who are not covered by any membership category in PhilHealth can register for membership under senior citizens category.
How to register?
Formal economy
For the members of formal economy, specifically to a newly hired and existing employee who does not have a pin yet, they have to fill out two copies of the PhilHealth Member Registration Form (PMRF).
Next, they should submit their PMRF to the human resources department (HR) of their employer, and wait for their member data record (MDR) and PhilHealth ID card from their employer.
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Meanwhile, for the newly hired employee with an existing pin, they would have to report their pin to their employer so that they can indicate the same pin in their Employer’s Report of Employees and Monthly Remittance Return or ER2.
Informal economy
The members of informal economy should visit first any of the local health insurance offices (LHIO) or PhilHealth Express outlets nationwide.
Next, they have to fill out two copies of the PMRF and submit it to the LHIO or PhilHealth Express.
Then, they have to wait for their MDR and PhilHealth ID, and pay the necessary premium contribution using their ID number.
Senior citizens
The registration for senior citizens has two options.
The first one is through the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) where members must fill out two copies of the PMRF, and submit it to the OSCA in the city or municipality where they reside.
The next thing they have to do is to wait for their MDR and PhilHealth ID issued by PhilHealth through the OSCA.
The second one is through PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) where they must also fill out two copies of the PMRF, and attach 1 x 1 photo taken within the last six months.
Then, they must present this senior citizen’s ID issued by the OSCA in the city or municipality where they reside, or present a valid government issued ID.
Next, they have to submit their completed PMRF and wait for their MDR and PhilHealth ID.
/bmjo
(CDN Digital obtained all this information from the PhilHealth website. This is merely a rundown. You can check other details concerning PhilHealth registration through www.philhealth.gov.ph )