SENATOR Christopher ‘Bong’ Go, chair of the Senate Health Committee, stressed that it should be the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) that should be made to assume the insurance coverage of college students attending ‘face-to-face’ (F2F) classes and not private insurers.
In a statement, Go said the government should “make it simpler” for college students to attend face-to-face classes by availing of PhilHealth, noting that this is provided under RA 11223 or the Universal Health Care Law, approved by President Duterte in 2018.
“Alam niyo, huwag na ho nating pahirapan ang mga kababayan natin sa pagbalik sa pag-aaral,” said Go during an interview after his visit to fire victims in Malinta, Valenzuela City last April 19, 2022.
“Hirap na nga ‘yung mga kababayan natin dito sa ating transition noong naging distance learning tayo. Tapos ngayon ‘pag pabalik na naman sa face-to-face learning mahihirapan na naman ang mga kababayan natin,” he pointed out.
Go was reacting to the issuance of Resolution 164 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, where it states that only fully vaccinated students with health insurance coverage are allowed to join F2F classes which have been permitted by the government in areas under Alert Level 1.
Universities and colleges in areas under said classification may conduct physical classes at full capacity, the resolution reads further.
Go reminded school administrators, parents and students that the insurance requirement does not have to come from a private provider, saying that students aged 21 and up may enroll in PhilHealth if they do not have the financial means to pay higher premiums.
On the other hand, students under the age of 21 may be considered as their parents’ or legal guardians’ dependents.
“’Yung insurance naman po, hindi dapat private. So ibig sabihin, PhilHealth insured ka diyan. Dahil mayroon ka ng PhilHealth, ‘yung mga 21 years old and above eh miyembro ka na po. Indigent ka, miyembro ka na po,” said Go.
“‘Yung dependents naman less than 21 years old ‘yung mga dependents nila, puwede niyo nang gamiting insurance ‘yon,” he added.
Despite these requirements, Go stressed that getting vaccinated can be considered as the “best insurance” and viable way to better protect Filipinos from the virus for the time being, adding that it provides protection against the risk of contracting COVID-19.
“At mayroon lang po akong idadagdag sa mga kababayan natin na magpabakuna po kayo. Ang bakuna po ang insurance sa ngayon, wala ng iba,” reiterated Go.