# Aus Citizen health care tips



## 888dino (Apr 22, 2014)

having managed to not get sick after few years in phils besides the odd flu / cold etc etc. im now looking to get some health insurance as im moving to manila lane: for a stint and well the pollution that lingers i dont want to take any chances. :fingerscrossed:
can anyyone recommend a health care package and or share some experiences. is there anything i would need to reqest or any loop holes when thinking about the hospitals here etc. or should i not take any? 

thanks


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Check the thread titled Medical Insurance for Older Men a few days ago.

Fred


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## 888dino (Apr 22, 2014)

I didn't look because it said ' for older men' but I'll check it and then look myself in the mirror one more time.  cheers fred


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

888dino said:


> I didn't look because it said ' for older men' but I'll check it and then look myself in the mirror one more time.  cheers fred


That thread has been closed but there are options. Send a private message to *fmartin_gila*. He has information on available insurance here in the Philippines. Beyond that, Philhealth may be an option if you are married. Your wife would sign up for herself and then add you on.
Hospitals are a whole different ballgame. It takes searching and in depth investigation to find a good hospital that is safe and that meets reasonable standards.


Best Of Luck

Jet Lag


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

*Phil Health Programme – Advice on who can join*



888dino said:


> im now looking to get some health insurance as im moving to manila. can anyyone recommend a health care package and or share some experiences. is there anything i would need to reqest or any loop holes when thinking about the hospitals here etc. or should i not take any? thanks





Jet Lag said:


> .......Beyond that, Philhealth may be an option if you are married. Your wife would sign up for herself and then add you on. Best Of Luck Jet Lag


Having read various posts from time to time about Phil Health, there still appears to be some confusion about who is or isn’t entitled to join the programme. For example, does one have to be married to a Filipina to qualify? Can you join if you're single? Can you join if you're 60 or over? Here’s my two-penneth on the subject for what it's worth.

Misunderstandings amongst members is hardly surprising as it extends to some government officials and their representatives who on occasions, give out misleading information. For example, neither my wife nor I are Filipinos and as I turned 60 this year, we were worried that I may not qualify for the Phil Health programme. When we asked our Philippine Retirement Authority representative about this, we were told very clearly that any foreigner over 60 was not entitled. I refused to accept this as I had heard information to the contrary. I therefore wrote directly to Phil Health and they assured me that being over 60 was not a problem. In addition to that confirmation, here’s a copy of some other correspondence that took place between Phil Health and myself:

*Q1.* As both my wife and I are foreigners and I am now 60, can you tell me if Phil Health will be made available to us? As neither of us appear to fall under your listed categories of (a) overseas worker, (b) employed, (c) sponsored or (d) lifetime, would we come under the only other category (e) individually paying? If so, what would the monthly contributions be?
*Ans:*_ Please be informed that you can register to Phil Health under the Informal Economy popularly known as Individually Paying Program. To register, kindly accomplish Phil Health Member Registration Form (PMRF) and submit to the nearest Phil Health office nationwide. Premium contribution of Informal Economy is as follows: P600 per quarter, P2,400 per year.
_
*Q2. * As two foreigners, do my wife and I complete one or two PMRFs? For example, does my wife come under my form as a dependent or does she need to complete and submit a separate form?
_*Ans. * Be advised that all Phil Health members and their qualified dependents enjoy the same benefits, hence either of you can register or the other can be declared as dependent. Therefore, one PMRF is enough to be filled up by the principal member only. However, if both of you wants separate membership, then both of you have to fill out PMRF.
_
*Q3. * As foreigners, my wife and I do not yet have a Philippines Tax Identification Number (TIN). Is the TIN necessary in order to process the registration form (PMRF)?
_*Ans.: * TIN is not a compulsory requirement in Phil Health membership.
_
*Q4.* Do we require any other documentation?
_*Ans:* For a foreign citizen to be registered under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP), needs to present Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) hence, you cannot register yet if you do not have the said certification._
*Note:* this last part is not strictly correct. If you have an SRRV (Special Resident Retiree Visa), you do not require an ACR.

In June of this year, my wife and I went to the local Phil Health office in Iloilo and successfully signed up to the Phil Health programme. I am the principal member and she is my dependent. It costs P2,400 per annum for the both of us. From walking into the office, competing the basic forms, submitting them, to paying the cashier, the whole process took approx. 25 mins. Based on the above, it is clear that one does not have to be a Filipino nor married to one to qualify. A single foreigner can also apply so long as he/ she has an ACR or an SRRV, irrelevant of his or her age.

We know that Phil Health is not a ‘cover all’ health insurance policy, but something that will come in handy if any of us are hospitalised. At this sort of price, it seems foolish not to have it. One other thought, as explained above, different officials sometimes give different information. If you want to join the Phil Health programme and receive conflicting information from your local Phil Health office, persevere until you speak to the right person. If you still have problems, contact the main Phil Health office in Manila and they will clarify the situation as they did in our case. I hope this helps to bring some clarity to the subject.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

mabrouk said:


> Having read various posts from time to time about Phil Health, there still appears to be some confusion about who is or isn’t entitled to join the programme. For example, does one have to be married to a Filipina to qualify? Can you join if you're single? Can you join if you're 60 or over? Here’s my two-penneth on the subject for what it's worth.
> 
> Misunderstandings amongst members is hardly surprising as it extends to some government officials and their representatives who on occasions, give out misleading information. For example, neither my wife nor I are Filipinos and as I turned 60 this year, we were worried that I may not qualify for the Phil Health programme. When we asked our Philippine Retirement Authority representative about this, we were told very clearly that any foreigner over 60 was not entitled. I refused to accept this as I had heard information to the contrary. I therefore wrote directly to Phil Health and they assured me that being over 60 was not a problem. In addition to that confirmation, here’s a copy of some other correspondence that took place between Phil Health and myself:
> 
> ...


Very good synopsis, and for the oldies, I will add the following: 

If you are married to a Filipina and she is 60 or over, she can and should enroll in the Senior Discount program. There is no charge for this. She is automatically entitled to the PhilHealth program, but does have to enroll, which is also at no charge as a Senior. Being married to her will entitle you (the foreigner) to be enrolled as her dependent, also at no charge if you are over 60. 

As I am utilizing the Balikbayan method (out & back in the country each year), I have nothing but my Passport & Phil Driver License for ID. Normally, just the License is sufficient and no other identification is required.

Fred


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