How to Register as a Voluntary Member with PhilHealth

PhilHealth is one of the leading health insurance companies in the Philippines. It is managed and controlled directly by the Philippine government to ensure that the citizens are granted with benefits that would make their lives easier.

Why would an individual want to become a member of this program?

Being a PhilHealth member is one of the greatest privileges offered to the Filipinos as it assures an individual of aid in times of emergencies, especially when they do not have any funds available at the time being. Having an account with the said agency is indeed beneficial not only to the paying member but also to their beneficiaries in terms of medical assistance.

Not to mention that the monthly contribution is also made affordable to every member.

What are the kinds of benefits to be granted if an individual is acknowledged as a member?

For registered members, they can enjoy health benefits whenever possible. Philhealth membership covers services for both in-patients and out-patients.

Some of the privileges granted are preventive services (Consultation, Examination and Counseling services), diagnostic examinations (Urinalysis and fecalysis, chest x-ray, etc.), and drugs and medicines such as nebulisation services and medicines for UTI and asthma.

Normally, having an account with the organization is provided by the company a member is working for, as it is a strict requirement on the side of the employer in order to secure the wellness of their employees. This privilege is enjoyed by the employee along with the other benefits granted by the employer.

However, being self-employed or unemployed doesn’t mean that non-working individuals are inadmissible from enjoying the same benefits granted to those members who are employed.

If an individual is a business owner or a self-employed, or non-working as of the time being, they can still register an account under the IPM category or Individual Paying Member category – which can also be referred to as Voluntary Membership.

How much is the contribution of Individual Paying Members?

The amount of contribution is slightly different for members under the IPM category.

For members who are acknowledged as self-employed or individually paying member:

1. Members with monthly income of Php25,000 and below shall pay Php2,400 per year.
2. Members with monthly income above Php25,000 shall pay Php3,600 per year.

Meanwhile, OFWs or those under the Overseas Workers’ Program (OWP) shall pay Php 2,400.00 as their annual premium contribution to PhilHealth.  This rate is also applicable to land-based OFWs, whether documented or undocumented.

Also, they have the privilege to choose the option of payment they would pay. It can be twice a year or Php 1,200 every six months, and it can also be once a year for the full amount of Php 2,400.

Even though there are some people who may think that acquiring membership for the program can be somewhat troublesome and quite hard, the actual procedures are not as complicated as it seems.

For those who are interested to acquire membership in the insurance program, here are the following steps to be done:

1. Visit the nearest PhilHealth branch in your area.
2. Ask for two (2) Philhealth Member Registration Form or PMRF, and properly fill out all the necessary details required. The same form is also downloadable in the internet for the efficiency of the interested registrants.
3. After the required information is provided in the form, it should be submitted along with the other requirements such as:
4. One (1) Photocopy of NSO-issued Birth Certificate, valid identification cards such as TIN ID, driver’s license, or any kind of documents which can prove the applicant’s identity
5. One (1) Photocopy of same set of abovementioned documents for the member’s beneficiaries
6. In cases of foreigners, one (1) photocopy of the Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR)
7. Upon submission, wait until the PhilHealth number is released by authorized officer.
8. Pay for the amounted contributions for voluntary member.

Make sure that you keep a copy of your PhilHealth Number as this will be permanent. You can also apply online through their official website.