PhilHealth to Add 'Health Proxy' Field in Membership Forms

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Monday said health proxies can soon be declared in its updated membership form, a move aimed to ease members' access to healthcare services. This move further aims to help individuals such as solo parents, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and members of the LGBTQIA+ community designate individuals who can be recognized by healthcare providers on their behalf. "We're updating our membership form, registration form, and in the latest update, we will include the field for declaring the health proxy," said Dr. Joseph Lachica, PhilHealth vice president for management group. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Edwin Mercado committed that the updated PhilHealth member registration form will be released by the end of September. The two health officials made the statement during the interpellation of Akbayan Party-list Representative Perci Cendaña, who said some hospitals do not acknowledge the Right to Care Ordinance due to the lack of the Health department memo. The Right to Care ordinance allows patients to designate who can make medical decisions on their behalf in case they are unable to do so themselves. Among the local government units that implement the Right to Care ordinance include Cavite, Quezon City, San Juan City, Parañaque City, Iloilo City, Cebu, and Laguna. —RF, GMA News