PhilHealth to Include 'Health Proxy' Option in Updated Registration Form by End of September
Photo courtesy: PhilHealth
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will soon allow members to declare a health proxy through its updated membership registration form, making it easier for designated individuals to assist with healthcare decisions during emergencies.
PhilHealth Vice President for Member Management Group Joseph Anthony D. Lachica said the agency is currently updating its membership and registration forms to include a field where members can name their health proxy.
“Currently, we're updating our membership or registration form. In that latest update, we will include the field for declaring a health proxy,” Lachica said during the House Committee on Appropriations' second budget hearing for the Department of Health on Monday, Sept. 7.
The measure is expected to benefit individuals who may need to designate someone they trust to act on their behalf, including solo parents, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Health Secretary Edwin Mercado, meanwhile, said the updated PhilHealth member registration form is expected to be released by the end of September.
The development comes after Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendeña raised concerns that some hospitals do not recognize the Right to Care Ordinance due to the lack of a corresponding Department of Health memorandum.
PhilHealth's move is aligned with the proposed Right to Care Act, introduced by Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima. The measure seeks to allow patients to designate a trusted individual who can make medical decisions on their behalf if they become unable to do so.
Under the proposed measure, the information of a patient's designated “health care agent,” or health proxy, would be reflected on their PhilHealth ID and recorded in a Right to Care registry maintained by the Department of Health.
Quezon City was the first local government unit to implement a similar measure through its Right to Care Card, which allows individuals to designate a trusted person to make healthcare decisions on their behalf.
The card, described by the Quezon City government as the first special power of attorney card for queer couples, allows the designated cardholder to make decisions regarding their partner's medical care, including consenting to, refusing, or withdrawing consent for healthcare procedures.
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