DOH puts premium on health insurance

The Department of Health (DOH) under the Aquino administration is putting a premium on health insurance as a basic right of all Filipinos.

This was revealed by DOH Regional Director Ariel Valencia after confirming October 2, 2010 as a nationwide Philippine Health Insurance Day in giving emphasis on health insurance especially for indigent families.

The government is allotting P500 million this year to pay for health insurance of poor families and in Western Visayas, 65,000 indigent families will avail of the benefits, Valencia said.

This health insurance is on top of health insurance policies from the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) paid for by local government units and other institutions and politicians, Valencia said.

In Iloilo City alone, more than 10,000 indigent barangay families are now enjoying health insurance with premiums paid by the city government. In the province, another batch of more than 10,000 health insurance policies were paid by the provincial government aside from health insurance paid for by the municipal governments for their selected indigent families.

Valencia said the DOH insurance will provide additional health benefits for the poor families who could avail of medical, dental and hospital services paid for by the national and local governments.

Health is wealth and a healthy person makes a healthy nation free from diseases, Valencia added.