By Veronica Corral
PhilHealth Vice President for Corporate Affairs Group Shirley Domingo said health insurance is a requirement for the protection of college students returning to face-to-face classes.
In the April 21 Laging Handa briefing, Domingo clarified that the requirement is under the memorandum of the Department of Health (DOH) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) which PhilHealth has to comply with.
“Ito ay naaayon po sa joint department order ng DOH sa CHED. Nakalagay po don na ‘yung estudyante ay kailangan pong magkaroon ng PhilHealth registration o kahit anong katumbas na medical insurance,” she said.
To register, college students below 20 years old must be added as dependents of their parents who are “primary members” while students aged 21 years old and above can directly register to the offices.
“Ngayon kung less than 20 sila, kung naka-register na sila through their parents ay wala nang kailangan kase naka-register na sila,” she said.
Domingo assured college students that their health insurance will cover COVID-19 benefits if they get exposed to the virus.
“[If] ma-admit sila sa mga community isolation units nila mayroon tayong benefits doon,” she said.
Under Universal Health Care, every Filipino is a PhilHealth member. Domingo encouraged everyone to register in the database so that “hassle” can be prevented once the services are needed. – ag
