POEA will collect fees for only OEC and no longer for PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG Fund

PhilHealth issued this reminder as the new policy (where the POEA will collect fees for only OEC and no longer for PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG Fund) took effect April 1.

“We call on our OFW-members to pay their PhilHealth premium contributions first before going to the POEA for their OECs. This will secure their social health insurance coverage, as well as that of their legal dependents, for their peace of mind,” said PhilHealth president and CEO Alexander Padilla.

But PhilHealth said its collection counters and those of other government agencies will remain at POEA in Mandaluyong City and at the one-stop shops of POEA nationwide.

Also, Padilla said OFW-members may still pay their premium contributions at the PhilHealth counters at the Balik-Manggagawa Center at the POEA in Mandaluyong City and the 27 accredited collecting partners.

They may also pay at local health insurance offices nationwide, he added.

PhilHealth pays for the overseas hospitalization of migrant workers, as well as for the confinement of their legal dependents in the Philippines, via a reimbursement mechanism.

Migrant workers have 180 calendar days from the date of discharge to file their claim documents through PhilHealth’s 17 regional offices.

OFWs pay P2,400 a year for their premium contribution to PhilHealth.

This includes:

• coverage for all qualified legal dependents of a migrant worker such as legal spouse who is not a PhilHealth member;
• legitimate and illegitimate children below 21 years old, unmarried and unemployed; and
• parents who are below 60 years old but are suffering from permanent disability which renders them totally dependent on the member for support.

Parents who are 60 years old and above and are not PhilHealth members may enrol under the Senior Citizen category

Via :GMA News