MANILA, Philippines - Philam Life, partner HMOs Intellicare, Maxicare, Medicard, PhilCare, and ValuCare, along with their advocacy partners, Roche, People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), L’Oreal Philippines, Magnolia Lifedrink, and Insight TechSystems launched the country’s pioneering Embrace Time cancer advocacy, making cancer insurance protection more accessible and affordable to the working Filipinos.
While cancer insurance is not new in the industry, it has been limited to a few eligible individuals who can afford to pay the corresponding premiums at their own personal expense. To bridge the gap, Philam Life’s first group cancer insurance program is offered as an added inclusion to the existing HMO insurance coverage packages offered by employer-sponsored HMOs.
“The group cancer insurance program is a first-of-its-kind partnership between Philam Life and the leading HMOs in the country,” explains Erwin Go, Philam Life vice president. “This program will create the funding mechanism for expensive cancer treatment via Philam Life’s affordable group cancer insurance product.”
According to the 2010 Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates data published by the Philippine Cancer Society, cancer is the leading cause of death in the Philippines today, specifically breast cancer for women and lung cancer for both sexes. In fact, for lung cancer alone, more than 9,000 lives were claimed in 2010. As such, with the high incidence of cancer and cancer-related deaths, the need for greater health coverage to include protection against cancer is more pronounced than ever.
The group cancer insurance program provides higher health coverage at affordable premiums by pooling the risks of a large group of people to subsidize the needs of individuals in the group who might develop cancer.
The program addresses the needs of many HMO customers. When added to their existing packages, the program can help potential patients get all the treatment they need by helping cover patients far beyond the existing coverage and card benefits. With cancer being a dreaded disease, utilization of coverage will definitely go beyond the P100,000 limit and this group cancer program can offer the higher coverage that patients need.
This breakthrough effort of Philam Life, HMOs, and advocacy partners was officially launched in a press conference last September 12 at the Hyatt Hotel. Through this effort, Philam Life and partners seek to help Filipinos by providing them peace of mind and the necessary support they need in case of cancer. The main goal is to be able to help Filipinos and give them access to a comprehensive cancer insurance program that will enable them to diagnose early and get the treatment they need. Ultimately, the group cancer insurance program seeks to save lives that may otherwise have been lost due to inability to afford treatment and medication.
The group cancer insurance program is available through Philam Life’s partner HMO companies — IntelliCare, Maxicare, PhilCare, ValuCare, and Medicard. For additional information, call 528-2000 or 0917855-3117 or visit www.philamlife.com.