Shopping for Health Insurance
I've always taken health insurance for granted because my parents are doctors, thus, I am covered by the doctor privilege where doctors don't charge doctors and their families professional fees. Also, I have Philhealth and my employer has its own health plan, which I heard was pretty sweet as well.
Besides, I've only been hospitalized 3x my whole life. First was for dengue fever, then a month after that for a liver abscess caused by amoebiasis (damn you isaw!). I was only in college back then and still a minor, so not only did my parents avail of the doctor's privilege, they were also able to take advantage of stockholder privileges and paid zero for room charges, as my mom held clinic stocks in that hospital.
The third time was when I gave birth and with Philhealth thrown into the mix, I paid merely Php19,000++ for a caesarian birth. Amazing I tell you.
But just recently, my brother-in-law was hospitalized a month or two after my sister opted not to avail of her employer's subsidized Maxicare privilege, thinking that her Philhealth coverage was enough. Wouldn't you know it, he was admitted when she had just started her Philhealth contributions, so she failed to meet the 3 month minimum for coverage. And after several tests and a week's stay in the hospital, their bill is now about Php60,000. Ack.
Besides, I've only been hospitalized 3x my whole life. First was for dengue fever, then a month after that for a liver abscess caused by amoebiasis (damn you isaw!). I was only in college back then and still a minor, so not only did my parents avail of the doctor's privilege, they were also able to take advantage of stockholder privileges and paid zero for room charges, as my mom held clinic stocks in that hospital.
The third time was when I gave birth and with Philhealth thrown into the mix, I paid merely Php19,000++ for a caesarian birth. Amazing I tell you.
But just recently, my brother-in-law was hospitalized a month or two after my sister opted not to avail of her employer's subsidized Maxicare privilege, thinking that her Philhealth coverage was enough. Wouldn't you know it, he was admitted when she had just started her Philhealth contributions, so she failed to meet the 3 month minimum for coverage. And after several tests and a week's stay in the hospital, their bill is now about Php60,000. Ack.
This made me reassess my own health insurance needs pronto. A quick research revealed that Philhealth coverage is sadly not enough and that my employer does have a good health plan BUT it only covers its employees and not their dependents. So I've been looking up health insurance for my husband and son, and my doctor relatives highly recommended Maxicare and Intellicare.
Intellicare doesn't offer individual or family packages though, so the obvious choice became Maxicare. Some more research led me to I-Care or Insular Life Health Care. Aside from the cheaper premium (about Php10,000 cheaper than Maxicare for the same coverage) and comparable services, I liked how I-Care would cover pre-existing illnesses upon renewal after one year of coverage.
I'm really leaning towards I-Care now, but I still need some more convincing because if it's really the shizz, then why do the doctors I know recommend Maxicare and Intellicare? Does I-Care have some sort of dirty secret? Hmmm....
I'm also tempted to get the Maxicare prepaid cards for emergency cases (MyMaxicare EReady) and 6 common illnesses (MyMaxicare LITE). Basically, these are single use cards which have a maximum value of Php15,000 for emergency situations and Php25,000 for the enumerated illnesses (i.e.dengue, cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid, malaria, gastroenteritis and pneumonia.), and are good for one year upon registration. The price point is super affordable at Php500++ and Php1000++ for each card, and I'm thinking that with those cards + Philhealth + a healthy emergency fund, I can get away without health insurance and save Php20,000 -Php40,000 annually in the process.
Intellicare doesn't offer individual or family packages though, so the obvious choice became Maxicare. Some more research led me to I-Care or Insular Life Health Care. Aside from the cheaper premium (about Php10,000 cheaper than Maxicare for the same coverage) and comparable services, I liked how I-Care would cover pre-existing illnesses upon renewal after one year of coverage.
I'm really leaning towards I-Care now, but I still need some more convincing because if it's really the shizz, then why do the doctors I know recommend Maxicare and Intellicare? Does I-Care have some sort of dirty secret? Hmmm....
I'm also tempted to get the Maxicare prepaid cards for emergency cases (MyMaxicare EReady) and 6 common illnesses (MyMaxicare LITE). Basically, these are single use cards which have a maximum value of Php15,000 for emergency situations and Php25,000 for the enumerated illnesses (i.e.dengue, cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid, malaria, gastroenteritis and pneumonia.), and are good for one year upon registration. The price point is super affordable at Php500++ and Php1000++ for each card, and I'm thinking that with those cards + Philhealth + a healthy emergency fund, I can get away without health insurance and save Php20,000 -Php40,000 annually in the process.
But as these things usually go, and as my sister and brother-in-law have proven, doing without adequate health insurance can lead not only to physical pain, but also to financial pain. So I think I'll be getting the vanilla coverage for my husband. But from which company? Maxicare or I-Care? What do you think?
Comments
I will be following your post about this matter.
For you I think you should go with Maxicare because you'll be settling in Pagadian when you come back right? And Maxicare has the widest nationwide coverage among the local HMOs.
I can't speak for other health cards because I only had maxicare but when it comes to their customer service and how they assist patients who want to avail of the coverage, i would say that maxicare really delivers.
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http://www.kaiserhealthgroup.com/index.php
I really value your judgment when it comes to healthcare. Please do check them and if possible let us know what you think about them :)
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Besides that though, Kaiser has limited hospital partners so that's a turn-off for me.
As an OFW, I see this as one of the vital investment I have to make considering the expensive medical cost in Pinas.
I did some research and found a good one but they don't offer the health benefits for OFWs. Sad.
I have Kaiser but I am not really very happy with it. I actually wanted to stop it but I have started my contributions already. So sayang din.
Last June I found one for my hubby and it accepts OFWs.
Just want to share our good experience for Intellicare. My elder brother has enrolled both of my parents on his Intellicare privilege. He pays an extra fee for this (I am not sure how much) - but the insurance coverage is worth it all. My brother is working in Manila, while both my parents are in Bacolod City. My mom got hospitalised for 2 weeks a year ago, and she only paid Php50 for miscellaneous fees in a private hospital in Bacolod. It is also the same case with my father when he got confined for neck injury last December for 4 days. Also, they go to hospital for general check-up without paying for anything, as long as they just show their Intellicare cards. =)
I looked into Intellicare too, but it only has corporate accounts, it doesn't accept individual and family coverage :(
It is actually an insurance with health benefits. If ever you are diagnosed with critical illness, then they will pay you a certain amount depends on your policy.
Alam mo naman, as we age, lumalabas na yong mga sakit na mamahalin. lol!
Cheers
I got Maxicare eReady as I'm paranoid too! My friend's an agent.
I saw you are also thinking about the emergency cases leading to in-patient care. I think Philcare's ER Vantage card is also helpful for this scenario.
I recently made a post about this also, since as mentioned, I'm really paranoid about health-related finances. You may want to check it out: http://www.thewiseliving.com/2014/10/4-best-health-cards-in-philippines-you.html?m=1
I know Blue Cross has a special plan for senior citizens. Philhealth also has mandatory coverage for all senior citizens, regardless if they were previous members.
With Eready, Philhealth and our emergency funds, we should be able to deal with his hospitalization expenses. But I'm also banking on my new employer's health benefits (once I qualify) since they're pretty generous and I think family members are also covered.
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