You will become old too. This is a good reason to look for a health card for our elderly family members. Let’s look at HMOs offering special products for senior citizens.
Budget is usually the most important factor when choosing a health coverage plan. Get started with knowing the health card cost to set up your limit.
HMO for Senior Citizens
1. InLife Medconsult Seniors
Price: ₱2,500 (60 to 64), ₱3,500 (65 years old and above)
Features: Ideal for seniors for consultations, select dental services are included, available for online purchase
Benefits:
- 4 face to face consultations with accredited doctors
- Unlimited teleconsult service with doctors (use your phone’s video chat)
- Unlimited dental consultations
Why we selected this: It is one of the more affordable plans in the market. Since we expect older people to be more vulnerable to sickness, its unlimited teleconsult is ideal.
The patient does not need to go to a clinic just to talk to a doctor for minor health problems.
2. Maxicare Prima Gold
Price: ₱16,888
Features: Valid for 1 year, covers senior citizens, covers pre-existing conditions, no check up required
Benefits:
- Unlimited consultations
- Unlimited access to 800 types of diagnostic and lab tests (prescribed by doctor)
- Emergency room coverage of up to ₱20,000
Why we selected this: The unlimited consultation makes it ideal for seniors who may have an existing problem like diabetes or hypertension. This will save up on check ups.
The diagnostic tests will also be a good benefit especially if the doctor requests for various test types within one year.
3. Medicard RxER
Price: ₱1,998
Features: No age limit, emergency health care services, 100% reimbursement for non-accredited hospital bills
Benefits:
- Coverage of ₱20,000 for emergency needs in accredited hospitals
- Emergency diagnostic procedures for MRI, ultrasound and CT scan (₱5,000 limit)
- Flat rate of ₱350 for any other doctors types not included in the benefits when you consult
Why we selected this: This plan will cover any age of a senior citizen since it has no age limit. During emergencies, we may need to go to the nearest hospital, whether accredited or not. The good thing is you can reimburse your expenses from centers not included in the accredited list.
4. Philcare Vida Care
Price: ₱13,270
Features: 60 years old and above, valid for 1 year (7 days activation), non-transferable
Benefits:
- Unlimited doctor consultations (Philcare accredited doctor types: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Cardiologists, Nephrologists, Pulmonologists, Gastroenterologists)
- Covers pre-existing conditions except psychiatric and behavioral disorders, congenital
- Unlimited consultations on HeyPhil Digimed
- Emergency room services up to ₱5,000
Why se selected this: It is common for the elderly to have problems with the nerves, breathing and the heart. The unlimited doctor consultation for specialists of these organs will help the patient save a lot.
For those who are at risk of injuries like falls, burns and traumas, the card’s coverage for ER is a great benefit.
For you to enjoy the optimum benefits of a health card plan, it is best to evaluate your personal needs. As seniors become more prone to having diseases and health problems, the features of a plan should be considered.
Some of the most common elderly concerns include physical injuries due to fall, poor eyesight (cataract, glaucoma), diabetes, stroke and heart problems. If you have signs of such conditions, include them in your decision when buying a health card.
What is an ideal health card for older individuals? Practically, it should have the following features:
- Affordable
- Long coverage duration
- Unlimited consultation and check up
- Covers diagnostic procedures
- Has emergency benefits
On a personal note, we availed the card that offers unlimited medical diagnostics. For my parents, I considered this to be the most important since they spend about Php 20,000 per year just for lab tests, x-rays and similar tests.
I’ve learned that many of the health card companies in the Philippines do not cover members 60 years old and above. However, they offer prepaid cards which can still provide benefits when it comes to consultation, diagnostic tests and emergency room expenses.
If you have a family member who can afford to pay for your health expenses, then it is possible to make you a dependent under his or her principal account. Most HMOs have such a feature.
If you have a senior citizen card, you may also use it to reduce the medical cost further. Depending on the service type, a 20% discount is applied as mandated by the law.
On the other hand, seniors are automatic members so you can also use it to cover a part of the total bill from the hospital.
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