I
firmly believe in the saying “Health is Wealth”. Our health is the most
important asset we could possibly have yet most of us take it for granted. Sickness
can come without a moment’s notice. Once it does come to you, you not only
worry about your health but also about the large medical expenses that are
associated with hospital confinement.
I’m
very fortunate that the company I’m working for includes HMO (Health
Maintenance Organization) coverage as part of its employee benefit package. The
HMO card enables me to have free consultations with accredited doctors and
waived hospitalization costs as long as I didn’t exhaust yet my card’s Maximum
Benefit Limit (MBL).
If
you are a freelancer or small business owner, then chances are you want to
avail an HMO card but can’t afford its annual premium. Just to give you a quick
idea, if you are in your 20's, the average HMO annual premium is around 15-20k.
That is a large amount to bear especially if you have just started out as a
freelancer with no stable income yet. Also, the HMO annual premium increases as
you get older. Luckily, there are now prepaid health cards that are being
offered by some HMO companies in the Philippines. The prepaid health cards can
be bought at an affordable price and most of them are for one-time emergency use
only.
1. Medicard RxER
What are the medical benefits?
- 1 year emergency, preventive, outpatient care and dental care benefits
- Emergency care coverage of up to Php 20,000 availed at Medicard-accredited hospitals
- Accidental death and disability coverage of up to Php 50,000
- Laboratory tests such as ultrasound, CT scan and MRI are covered up to Php 5,000 (only if needed during the emergency care of the patient)
- Includes tetanus toxoid, anti-tetanus serum and active immunization for rabies (animal bites)
- One Annual Physical Exam (APE) which can only be availed at Medicard free-standing clinics
- Free unlimited consultation with primary care physicians. Standard Php 350 consultation fee with other specialists and sub-specialists.
- Free one time oral prophylaxis and 30% discount on dental procedures
- 30% discount on laboratory and diagnostic tests
- 30% discount on surgeries and other services
Eligibility
No
age limit, no medical checkup required and no hierarchy requirement
What does it not include?
Does
not include inpatient/hospitalization coverage
How much does it cost?
Php
1998
Where to buy it?
You
can buy it from MariaHealth online
How to avail the benefits?
- Register the card under your name in order to activate it. You can only register one card under your name per year.
- Present your card in Medicard free-standing clinics and Medicard-accredited hospitals with a valid ID.
- Cardholders may avail of emergency services more than once as long as the benefit limit of Php 20,000 is not yet consumed and the emergency incident happened within 6 hours.
2. My Maxicare (Lite Green & Lite Blue)
What are the medical benefits?
- One-time hospitalization for common viral diseases up to Php 25,000 in Maxicare-accredited hospitals. For Lite Blue cardholders, member also gets access to top hospitals in Manila (e.g. Makati Medical Center). Viral diseases covered are dengue, malaria, cholera, typhoid, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, chikungunya and leptospirosis.
- Regular private room and board accommodation
- Includes doctor’s fees, medicines (while in confinement) and standard nursing services
- Includes the use of operating room, intensive care unit (ICU), isolation room and recovery room
- Laboratory and diagnostic tests
- Administration of oxygen, anesthesia, blood transfusion and intravenous fluids
Eligibility
2 –
60 years old
What does it not include?
Does
not include outpatient services and APE
How much does it cost?
Php
1599 (Lite Green), Php 2199 (Lite Blue)
Where to buy it?
You
can buy it from MariaHealth online
How to avail the benefits?
- Register the card under your name in order to activate it. You can only register one card under your name per year. Card will be activated 15 days after registration.
- Present your card in Maxicare-accredited hospitals with a valid ID.
- The prepaid health card can only be used once regardless whether the benefit limit of Php 25,000 is consumed or not.
3. PhilCare Health Vantage Adults (40K, 60K
& 80K)
What are the medical benefits?
- 1 year emergency and hospitalization coverage up to Php 40,000 (Plan 40K), Php 60,000 (Plan 60K) and Php 80,000 (Plan 80K).
- Covered cases include acute cases of bacterial and viral infections such as appendicitis, bronchitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis, pharyngitis, pyelonephritis, urinary tract infections, sinusitis, tonsilitis, upper respiratory tract Infection, amoebiasis, cellulitis, dengue fever, pneumonia and typhoid fever.
- Rooms: Ward (Plan 40), Semi-Private (Plan 60), Regular Private (Plan 80)
- Accidental death and dismemberment coverage of up to Php 50,000
- Offers Php 10,000 life insurance
- Includes doctor’s fees and emergency room fees
- Laboratory, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
- Includes medicines (except vaccines) that are necessary during confinement
- No medical examination required
Eligibility
18 –
60 years old
What does it not include?
Does
not include medical consultation
How much does it cost?
Php
3750 (40K), Php 5950 (60K), Php 9950 (80K)
Where to buy it?
You
can buy it from MariaHealth online
How to avail the benefits?
- Present your card in PhilCare-accredited hospitals with a valid ID.
- As long as the total plan benefit limit is not yet consumed, there is no limit on the number of times you may use the card within a year.
With
these affordable prepaid health cards, there is no reason for you not to protect
yourself from unforeseen medical expenses. It’s the perfect gift that you could
give to yourself, to your family or even to your house helpers.
P.S.
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