The National Nutrition Council Caraga joins in the celebration of the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) Month, by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 1400, which promotes the important role of social health insurance to every Filipino.
The Philhealth, which is the administrator of the NHIP led the observance activity provided in Republic Act 7875, also known as the "National Health Insurance Act (NHI) of 1995," signed by former President Fidel V. Ramos on February 14, 1995.
This February, PhilHealth, and other partners and stakeholders celebrate National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) Month. This year, its 28th year has a theme "Pinalawak at mga Bagong Benepisyo para sa Mamamayang Filipino."
PhilHealth ensures that every member is protected through comprehensive benefits packages that are both preventive and curative. Moreover, the NHI law also seeks to provide financial access to quality, appropriate, and adequate healthcare services at an affordable and reasonable cost. These benefits are based on the individual health needs of Philhealth members:
- Inpatient Benefits: benefits for sickness or ailments that need confinement of not less than 24 hours.
- Outpatient Benefits: Day surgeries and treatment procedures are done in accredited hospitals and free-standing clinics that don’t require confinement.
- Primary Care Benefits: Primary preventive services, diagnostic examinations, and drugs and medicines are initially available to indigent or sponsored members, organized groups, and land-based migrant worker members and their dependents. Recently, Department of Education personnel was added. offered through Rural Health Units (RHU) and Outpatient Department (OPD) of government hospitals.
- Z Benefits – designed for illnesses that are life-threatening and require prolonged hospitalizations, extremely expensive therapies, or other treatments that can deplete a family’s financial resources, unless covered by special health insurance policies.
- MDG Benefits and other Special Benefit Packages – Benefits in line with 3 Millennium Development Goals of reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and combating HIV and other infectious diseases.
The mentioned benefits are just but a few, and members and every Filipino are advised to visit the nearest Philhealth facility to be oriented and be guided on how social health insurance works. #JAOPortillas
References:
- Learner’s Material on PhilHealth.
https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/downloads/LearnersMaterial_PhilHealth.pdf
