MANILA — A new health insurance program which is intended to reduce the cost of hospitalization of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families was launched Wednesday.
The Bayani Family Care Program is a health care plan that provides coverage for emergency care and hospitalization for viral and bacterial illnesses and treatment of injuries resulting from accidents.
The initiative which was the result of a partnership between local health insurance firm PhilCare, Madanes Group of Israel and United Kingdom-based company Jardine Lloyd Thompson. It was created amid concerns that a large part of the monthly remittances sent home by OFWs are spent to cover hospitalization expenses.
“We want to create a product that will give them peace of mind and ensure no worries over the cost of hospitalization, taking care of their children and that whenever emergencies happen they have a solution,” Madanes Group President and CEO Ohad Madanes said in a press briefing held in Makati City.
For his part, PhilCare President and CEO Jaeger Tangco noted that only 4 percent of Filipinos are covered by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) while 58 percent of the monthly remittances of OFWs is spent on medical expenses.
“This is sad because all of their dreams can go down because of a single illness. This is the reason why we came up with the insurance. We are here to protect the Filipinos,” according to Tangco.
Bayani Family Care covers scheduled and emergency room care and confinement as well as hospitalization benefits for viral bacterial illnesses and injury treatments in more than 500 PhilCare-accredited hospitals nationwide. Part of its benefits include an optional unlimited outpatient medical consultation with pediatricians, cardiologists, endocrinologists, among others.
“Bayani Family Care ensures your family’s health wherever you may be. It helps you save on medical bills with affordable rates that start at PHP 4,350.00 a year per head,” Tangco said. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
