mattinnorfolk
8/26/2019 08:37 EST
Is it costly and difficult for a 63 or 64 year old single male to have good health insurance there? Any recommendations or help are greatly appreciated. Non Smoker, but on cholesterol meds.
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Goslig
8/26/2019 10:09 EST
Doctor visits are cheap. I pay 100 pesos per visit. Anything else gets pricey. You are held prisoner in hospital until you pay. Then they discharge you. Pharmaceuticals are more expensive than in Canada. My whole family is covered by a Canadian plan for everything and 80% off for pharmaceuticals and dental. Benefits from my Public Service. I pay $114 a month for three of us. There is Phil Health here and Blue Cross, probably some other forum members have better information.
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LovePhilly
8/26/2019 18:54 EST
I would like to hear response on this also. Do most of you use Philhealth or a private company?
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surfingcebu
8/26/2019 22:20 EST
Love - I use Phil-Health .... but I also have travel/Live abroad cover through My Canadian cover .
Best be warned , IF you ONLY have Phil-Health and your a foreigner , you get certain sections deleted from cover, that a Pinoy gets ....no only do you pay more you get much less in the way of surgery care and other ( unless things have changed for foreigners ) . Maybe someone can confirm the the 2019 status of Pinoy vs. Foreigner cover ?
Get use to being a foreigner for life in the RP - you will always get the short end , never truly accepted as a 'local' ....once you embrace this fact , things go smoother.
I use both . for minor stuff its very cheap and Phil-Health works well ! For major stuff - no experience with this .
I had a chest infection while in my Baragay; they have a rural Hospital there . Totally looked after- tests- blood pressure checks, Dr visit , even gave me pills for infection. Charge - NOTHING !!! . I road by and donated 50.00 to the Hospital 2 weeks later when I was better . they were very appreciative for this !
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darkfader24
8/27/2019 00:47 EST
Surfing / LovePhilly / Mattin - I keep seeing Cigna promote their Health Insurance Plans for ExPats on this site. At some point I will be looking into this, since as an American I will lose my Medicare Insurance once I leave American soil. Is it wise to also have PhilHealth as a supplement? I've been wondering about this for awhile so I'm glad these things are being discussed here.
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Goslig
8/27/2019 07:50 EST
https://philippines-health-insurance.com/ALP/R/pg1?mtch=b&kwds=%2Bhealth%20%2Binsurance%20for%20%2Bexpats&cmid=176299390&dgid=11094421990&kwid=kwd-52364050850&dvce=m&crtv=116131222630&adps=1t1&netw=Search&gclid=CjwKCAjwqZPrBRBnEiwAmNJsNque2_GK-KvIQkmRDGHcPxIKjsdmA6ns036In6BY-lfYpM781g7o5RoClMYQAvD_BwE
YOU MIGHT GO HERE AND INQUIRE ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE.
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phonedoctor1
8/27/2019 16:17 EST
i have medicare now, and my pinoy wife says i should get philcare, but if cigna is better i might get it ..... she is all for Philcare,
advice is appreciated
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mattinnorfolk
8/27/2019 16:27 EST
You need to be in the USA for Medicare, I’ll let you know how my quote comes out for me at 62 .
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TimL
8/27/2019 22:06 EST
I have the Cigna Global Gold Plan. Covers $2 million USD per year anywhere outside of the US.
I’m 55 and it runs close to $300 per month with a $375 deductible. They have a good selection of docs, hospitals etc. that handle directly billing Cigna.
Fortunately, I have yet to have to use it so I can’t advise on how well claims are handled etc.
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Dutchmen2003
8/27/2019 22:25 EST
Phil Health for foreigners is pesos 17000 p/a or 4x4250 quarterly. With PRA membership is pesos 15000 p/a.
For several years I have Phil Health pesos 2400 p/a. I applied for the PRA/PH service but this application was ignored at Phil Health office. Google for Phil Health for foreigners. Greetings to all
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darkfader24
8/27/2019 22:47 EST
PhoneDoc - Once you leave the USA your Medicare will no longer cover you. If you return to the USA and request it again it will cost you quite a bit more - but I don't recall what the percentage is. It's their way of slapping your wrist / punishing you - for all your years of faithful tax paying. I love this country, and it's amazing Constitution - but the Gov't and it's bureaucratic BS can go to.........
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sherwood
8/28/2019 08:20 EST
You do not loose your Mecicare benefits. It is limited to geographically. You need to fly to were it is accepted.
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gypsyquokka
8/28/2019 10:02 EST
Yes Dutchman - I have a PRA Visa so i now pay 15,000 PHP a year to Philhealth for the past 3 years. Prior to that I paid only 2,400 PHP annually. Still a pretty good deal as they pay minimum of 30% of your hospitalization costs and up to 50% if you are over 70 - the difference they call the "seniors" discount. I was in hospital in 2017 and they paid 50% of the bottom line.
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Tsmslf
8/28/2019 11:53 EST
Matt, I assume you mean accepted. And if you mean the continental US, the answer is US possessions such as Guam, Puerto Rico or the Mariannas (SP?) That's too bad but the reasons are apparent. The frauds that would ensue were the RP to be allowed to accept Medicare patients is not difficult to imagine and other countries would surely be the same.
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Robertdav298
8/28/2019 21:38 EST
i have been to GUAM and use my US Military TRI-CARE at the local hospital and doctors.
I have American friends that live on GUAM and to use their MEDICARE BENEFITS they had to be a resident of Guam for 3-6 months BUT in an emergency situation they will make a waiver for you.
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Goslig
8/28/2019 21:59 EST
Robertdav298 Not true. As of my messages from Guam divorce lawyer specialists a couple months ago, all you need is your 7 day residency if you’re an American. Your wife doesn’t need to go. You don’t have to appear in court. Do me a favour and check your facts on Google (contact them if you really want more information) or watch the recent YouTube videos by these legal firms. Don’t you read my posts first? The Forum is no place for Horse Feathers.
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Goslig
8/28/2019 22:26 EST
RobertDav298. Oops disregard my previous reply which I assumed your comment was about “divorce”. My apology
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LovePhilly
8/29/2019 10:28 EST
Robert, you probably already know this but there are some hospitals in RP that are tri-care approved.
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LovePhilly
8/29/2019 11:01 EST
Gypsy,
So Philhealth only pays 30%? That doesn't sound like much, almost not worth having. The upside is that medical care is cheap there anyway. I think it's only 40 to 60 USD per night for hospital stay. I suppose its better than nothing.
Best just to keep 5,000 dollars tucked away in case it is needed.
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gypsyquokka
8/29/2019 11:23 EST
Hi Lovephilly - I guess it depends on your income as to whether you think Philhealth paying 30% or 50% [depends on your age]. Many things healthwise in Philippines are cheap / reasonable. @ years ago i asked GIGNA for a quote and they said $380 US a month - WOW as almost 50% of my monthly income. In 2013 i was in a Cebu hospital for 7 weeks and the billing came to over 1 million peso - that was with a friend shopping around the city to buy the meds etc etc as the hospitals charge a 32% markup. At that time i did have private insurance with a company that agreed to full coverage - After the 1st surgery the company decided to not pay anything at all, as at that time they "reassessed my health and then classed it as pre-existing AND also mentioned that being a foreigner it should be easy for me to pay the outstanding charges. The company covered themselves by providing nothing in writing - pre-admission info was all verbal as was telling me about being a foreigner. No faith in private healthcare now. Great time to inform the patient when surgery was done and another scheduled in days = no way to check out of the hospital. I was hospitalized for a few days in 2017 - took the complete billing down to Philhealth desk and they paid 49.5% with age discount. And i handed over the balance. I have not heard of a case where Philhealth did not payout at least 30%.
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Raksta
9/2/2019 12:01 EST
CIGNA has a real good reputation., though the most expensive I seen.
Blue Cross seems to be good - maybe I will sign up ( I am in the same age as you). There are different options - Global Insurance except US, Insurance more focused to Philippines. There are some other policies as well.
Almost half the price of CIGNA.
Healthcare is not expensive here. No need to look for insurance for visits to a doctor or some days in Hospital. The worry is a long period in hospital or expensive treatment. It can be very expensive e.g. cancer or maybe an accident.
Pre-conditions is a problem. Most insurances works in full first the second year after signing the insurance.
My experience is that you should sign up for PhilHealth. You get some discounts.
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Raksta
9/2/2019 12:01 EST
CIGNA has a real good reputation., though the most expensive I seen.
Blue Cross seems to be good - maybe I will sign up ( I am in the same age as you). There are different options - Global Insurance except US, Insurance more focused to Philippines. There are some other policies as well.
Almost half the price of CIGNA.
Healthcare is not expensive here. No need to look for insurance for visits to a doctor or some days in Hospital. The worry is a long period in hospital or expensive treatment. It can be very expensive e.g. cancer or maybe an accident.
Pre-conditions is a problem. Most insurances works in full first the second year after signing the insurance.
My experience is that you should sign up for PhilHealth. You get some discounts.
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Tsmslf
9/2/2019 18:01 EST
Mr. Gasbag, I read the Gual divorce info on Google and it states that the 7 day residency is for an UNcontested divorce. A contested case is much longer.
As you wrote, the forum is no place for Horse Feathers. It's also no place for Horse Feces Mr. Gasbag.
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phonedoctor1
9/2/2019 19:17 EST
i am 60 and basicly healthy so my wife has told me to just get Phil Health ... we will see how that works
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Robertdav298
9/2/2019 20:52 EST
I spoke with BC here in CEBU and Manila they told me they are not affiliated with BC...US....hmmmm!
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surfingcebu
9/2/2019 20:56 EST
Phil-health works fine ...but as a expat , there are some exclusions for being and expat ....at least their used to be
Are the 'skin- exclusions' /Non-Pinoy , still there? ....I was told they were changed but still there .
All -in-all , I have been ok with Phil-health .... regular doctor visits are cheap , specialist appointments start to get up there .
The insurance system is mystifying in the RP , but they do pay under Phil-health for the regular things .... now , being an expat , there may be still exclusions .
A foreigner pays MUCH more , for coverage than a local , as a start ...
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darkfader24
9/3/2019 16:04 EST
Surf - Which begs the question: Shouldn't an ExPat just get a more comprehensive Med Insurance Pkg from a more expensive provider like Cigna, and not bother paying the extra money for Phil Health? Is there some sort of advantage for having both? And therefore paying for both? It seems that PhilHealth, while generally good - is not "Good Enough", so if an ExPat is older with possible conditions now or on the Horizon, why mess with PhilHealth?
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surfingcebu
9/3/2019 22:49 EST
Dark - Cigna is so darn expensive for health ins. There is better international policies around . shop the market !
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