ZAMBOANGA CITY, Feb. 13 (PIA) – The Philippine Health Insurance aims to stimulate public awareness on the issues involving social health insurance and to encourage partners in fulfilling their respective roles to ensure the success of the National Health Insurance program (NHI).
PhilHealth continuously reminds the role of direct contributors to religiously pay their contributions; employers to remit and report their contributions on time; health care providers to fill claims that are in order, among many others.
Being the administrator of the NHI Program as provided for in Republic Act 7875 as amended, PhilHealth spearheads the nation’s observance of NHI month every February of the year in parallel with its 28th anniversary on February 14.
The theme for this year is “Pinalawak at mga Bagong Benepisyo para sa Mamamayang Filipino”, which amplifies its commitment to continuously expand and to make the benefits even more responsive to the changing medical care needs of the Filipino people.
NHI Program is a form of financing and managing health care based primarily on risk pooling. The Social Health Insurance pools the health risks of the people on one hand; and the contributions of individuals, households, enterprises, and the government on the other. This system protects people against financial burden of diseases, and considered a relatively fair method of financing health care.
PhilHealth is spearheading low profile but high impact activities such as a press conference to announce new and expanded health care benefits for rollout in 2023 and beyond, and a Social Health Insurance symposium involving internal and external stakeholders to showcase its various feats in the implementation of the NHIP especially during the pandemic years.
The state insurer also enjoins government agencies including local government units, the mass media and the entire citizenry to support the celebration that geared towards fulfilling the vision of providing all Filipinos with equitable access to adequate, affordable and acceptable health care services without resulting to economic hardship; now and into the future.
Moreover, PhilHealth Regional Office IX joins the celebration of the NHI month through different activities lined up through a bloodletting activity on February 14. This is in coordination with Philippine Red Cross – Zamboanga Chapter and will be conducted in the office with the participation of PhilHealth personnel and other stakeholders as blood donors. (RVC/MLE/PIA9-Zamboanga City/With reports from PhilHealth)
