HMO For Voluntary and Self Employed in Philippines

No one wants to get sick. But since it is a fact of life, you should at least be prepared for it financially. The good news is you can get some peace of mind with the help of an HMO.

Top Health Card Providers

Each HMO company provides a different set of benefits to their clients. In order to find the best one for your needs, compare their offers, rates, benefits and brand reputation.

Here is a list of top HMOs for freelancers, voluntary and self-employed individuals.

See: Top HMOs in the Philippines

• Avega
• Caritas Healthshield
• Cocolife Health
• Eastwest Healthcare
• Intellicare
• Maxicare
• Medicard
• Philcare
• Pacific Cross
• Valucare

What is HMO?

HMO is a company that provides members the benefit to have consultations, check up, laboratory tests and preventive care. It provides access to different healthcare providers such as doctors, hospitals, medical clinics, diagnostic centers and more.

Benefits of having HMO for individuals

For Filipinos, there are different benefits in getting an HMO account for individuals:

• Out patient check up like consultations, laboratory tests and diagnostics
• In Patient services include confinement, hospitalization, professional fee, operating room and other charges
• Emergency care
• Preventive care like dental check ups, APE or annual physical exam and even vaccines or immunization

Advantages and Disadvantages

One advantage of having HMO is you do not need to bring a lot of cash when you are scheduled for check up and consultation. You only need your account and HMO health card.

Second, you can receive more benefits than what you have actually paid for the membership

What HMO to Choose

Choosing an HMO or health card depends mainly on your budget. As a freelancer, voluntary or self-employed member, you have the option to select only the benefits that you wish to avail. In order to make it simpler, here’s are some factors to consider:

• Services and benefits you wish to avail
• Your monthly budget
• The number of accredited hospitals and doctors
• Payment term whether prepaid or monthly

Monthly Payment Rates

How much is the monthly payment rates for health cards? It depends on the type of account that you wish to avail. As a freelancer or self-employed, be aware of your budget.

Unlike with regular employees who may have the capacity to pay regularly, you need to plan your finances ahead.

Choose the option that is more convenient to you whether you want a monthly, quarterly or annual payments.

The HMO companies have their online calculator to help you see your monthly rates based on different factors.

Cheapest HMO Health Card

One option for self-employed or freelancer members is to avail a prepaid health card. This type of product offers you the flexibility of paying only once for a certain medical service.

For example, a one time payment for a prepaid HMO gets you covered for a bigger amount during in any of your hospital expenses.

On the other hand, you can also find an affordable health plan that you can pay for monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis depending on your budget.

Common Questions

For individuals who wish to get an HMO or health card, some of the basic questions relate to payments, type of benefits and kind of health card to get. Here are some of the questions that you may have in getting an HMO for the first time.

Will I get my money back from HMO payments?

HMO and health cards function similar to a health insurance. You will be “insured” or covered with a better deal as long as you pay for the required dues.

Paid Premiums

This means, getting your money back is usually not possible with most HMO and health insurance companies. It is not like a savings account where your payments are returnable.

Non-Accredited Hospital

However, some companies will offer reimbursement of your expenses if you availed medical services from hospitals or doctors outside of its accredited network.

Can I transfer my HMO to my kids and parents?

Many HMO in the Philippines offer a solution to your kids and parents’ healthcare. You can enroll them in your account as dependents. However, you also need to pay additional fees every month for them to be covered and enjoy the health benefits of HMO.

Cheapest HMO Health Plan

As mentioned, the cheapest ones are those under the prepaid program. They may have various features and benefits so be ready to compare them. The price usually starts at Php 1,300 among prepaid health cards.

On the other hand, the affordability of a health card will depend on the plan that you will avail. It will depend on your mode of payment, the services covered, the family members covered and even your age.

Last Updated on April 18, 2024 by Medical Pinas