College students in F2F classes reminded to register for Philhealth, medical insurance
MANILA, Philippines — College students attending in-person classes are required to register with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) or any medical insurance company that covers COVID-19-related expenses, an official from PhilHealth said Thursday.
Health insurance has become mandatory for tertiary-level students who are attending face-to-face classes, PhilHealth Vice President for Corporate Affairs Shirley Domingo said during a Laging Handa briefing on Thursday, citing a joint memorandum circular between the Health department and Commission on Higher Education.
The joint circular formed the basis of a portion of Resolution 164, issued March 10, 2022 by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF), which said higher education institutions must ensure that students who participate in limited face-to-face classes are registered with PhilHealth or an equivalent medical insurance which covers medical expenses linked to COVID-19.
"It is important for students [to register with us]. In case they are exposed to COVID-19 or if they are infected, they can avail of the COVID benefits [offered by Philhealth]," Domingo said.
PhilHealth beneficiaries are entitled to several benefits such as discounts on surgeries, hemodialysis and in-patient care, among others.
Students over 21 years old— with no visible means of income— may enroll in PhilHealth as indigent members. Those below 21 years of age may be identified as dependents of their parents and legal guardians, according to Resolution 164.
Domingo said those below 21 whose parents are already registered with PhilHealth, don't need to register again. "They just have to show their [parents'] MDR (member data record) to their schools."
Domingo was not able, however, to give figures on the number of applications from college students attending face-to-face classes.
As more areas in the country are placed under the lowest alert level— Alert Level 1— classrooms in higher educational institutions are allowed full seating capacity. Only fully-vaccinated teachers, students and non-teaching personnel can enter the facilities.
Meanwhile, students who have not yet completed their vaccination schedules, and those who have not yet received their COVID-19 jabs have the option to continue their education through online classes.
The country logged a total of 1,674 new COVID-19 cases from April 11 to 17, lower by 12% than a week earlier, based on estimates from the Health Department.
Since then, local health authorities reported over 3.68 million COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic. — Angelica Y. Yang
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