With the sudden rise in illnesses and viruses in the country, one can never be fully prepared during an emergency. It is also imperative that we are ready when the need arises especially when our loved ones are involved.
But the dilemma lies in the exorbitant fees that hospitals charge us during emergencies. Admit it or not, we all aren't financially equipped to produce the money in an instant.
That is why it's a good thing that nowadays, prepaid emergency preparedness already exists. Yes, you and your family can now be covered by prepaid HMO.
Work-from-home parents and those like me who can't afford the quarterly or annual payments of an HMO membership will find prepaid healthcare cards helpful.
So I've listed down some of the most well-known HMO companies that offer prepaid cards according to their price and coverage and will also cover our kids emergency out-patient and hospitalization needs.
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| Maxicare EReady Platinum |
EReady is a one-time medical emergency prepaid healthcard for injuries or illnesses that costs less than P1,000.00 Philippine Peso. These cards are both accepted in Maxicare Accredited clinics and hospitals nationwide.
There are two types of EReady Cards that you can choose from:
EReady Titanium:
Titanium costs P699.00 Philippine Peso.
It covers up to P15,000 Ph Peso emergency treatment. Patients who are 15 days to 65 years old are eligible for the EReady Titanium card. The card is valid 1 year after the date of activation.
The card covers pre-existing conditions too and doesn't require preliminary checkup.
In detail, the card covers life threatening conditions, illnesses or injuries that require emergency assistance or urgent medical attention such as heart attack, cardiovascular or cerebrovascular accidents, loss of consciousness, and convulsions.
The coverage includes doctor's services for emergency treatment, emergency room fees, medicines for immediate relief and treatment, oxygen, IV fluids, whole blood and human blood products, dressings, casts, sutures, laboratory services such as x-ray and diagnostics. It even covers initial treatments for animal bites with vaccines included within 24 hours of bite.
The card being for emergency treatment only means that confinement and ambulance services are NOT included.
It also doesn't have access to 6 major hospitals in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile,
EReady Platinum costs around P899.00 Philippine Peso.
This card offers the same coverage as EReady Titanium but Platinum cardholders can have access to 6 major hospitals in Metro Manila.
These hospitals are:
- Asian Hospital
- Cardinal Santos Medical Center
- Makati Medical Center
- The Medical City
- St. Lukes Medical Center Quezon City
- St. Lukes Medical Center Taguig
Both cards have life insurance coverage of up P50,000 Ph Peso of Accidental Death, Dismemberment & Disablement.
Take note: these cards are SINGLE USE CARDS. But you can use multiple cards per year.
These cards can be purchased online here.
2. PhilCare Emergency Health Products
PhilCare offers a variety of prepaid emergency health cards that is surely within your budget. Their cards costs around P800 - P3000 plus Philippine Peso. These are:
ER Shield:
It is a single-use card/voucher for emergency or outpatient care for viral and bacterial illnesses and treatment of injuries from accidents except for stroke in 500+ PhilCare accredited hospitals nationwide.
The card costs around P800.00 Philippine Peso. The eligible age is from 6 months to 64 years old and is valid for 1 year upon date of activation. The card is non-transferrable and the coverage starts 7 days after activation date.
The card gives you coverage of up to P50,000.00 Ph Peso in emergency room expenses such as doctor's fees, laboratory and diagnostic procedures and medicines (vacciness not included). The coverage does NOT include the 6 major hospitals in Metro Manila.
ER Shield can be purchased online too. Click here.
ER Vantage Plus 40 for Kids
ER Vantage Plus 40 for kids is ideal for parents who have limited budget but wants the peace of mind of being ready in times of emergencies. This card/voucher is single use and prepaid that provides up to P40,000.00 Ph Peso of emergency and hospitalization for viral and bacterial illnesses, and injuries resulting from accidents except stroke. This is widely accepted in 500+ Philcare accredited hospitals nationwide.
The card costs P2,950.00 Philippine Peso and kids aged 6 months to 17 years old are eligible. This is valid for 1 year after date of activation and can be used 7 days after date of activation.
Again, this card excludes 6 major hospitals in Metro Manila. It also includes benefits such as room and board (ward type), doctor's fees, laboratory and diagnostic services and medicines (except vaccines).
They also offer cards/vouchers for adults.
For more information, click here.
3. Medicard RXEr
This card covers emergency, preventive, and outpatient care that has no age limit and no medical checkup and paperwork required. This will cost you P1,998.00 Ph Peso and can be applied online.
The coverage are as follows:
- Emergency cases availed at MediCard accredited hospitals within 6 hours of incident and cases are not under the conditions of exclusions.
- The coverage is up to P20,000.00 Ph Peso and can be used until the limit is fully availed.
- Urgent or emergency care charges include: emergency room fee, medicines, oxygen, casts, sutures, dressings, Tetanus toxoid, anti-tetanus, and rabies vaccination. It also include basic laboratory and diagnostic services related to the emergency case. Emergency complex diagnostics will be covered up to P5,000.00 Philippine Peso.
For more information on these terms and conditions. Click here.
4. InLife ER Care All-In 60 Kids
This one-time voucher/card will cost you P3,150.00 ph peso. and will provide up to P60,000 pesos worth of coverage for emergency case due to bacterial and viral illnesses, conditions caused by accident and other specific conditions.
The coverage includes outpatient and inpatient emergency services such as laboratory and diagnostic services, medicines, and ward rooms. This voucher/card excludes the 6 top hospitals in Metro Manila but is widely accepted in 400+ accredited hospitals nationwide. If you prefer to include the top 6, you need to add P2,000.00 pesos on top of the basic cost.
Kids aged 1-17 years old are eligible to be covered by ER Care All-In 60.
For more specific information, you can visit here
Take Note dear readers, I only listed down the most affordable types of coverage for our kids. But the HMO companies I featured also offer more coverage that are a bit pricier yet also covers confinement. They also offer prepaid plans for adults and senior citizen. I leave it to you to make the comparison and decide which best fits your financial capabilities, goals, and needs.
Preparedness is a must.
Most especially for us parents who only have the welfare of our children in mind. The sudden rise of Dengue cases and other illnesses that threaten our children's health, it is only right to be prepared at all times.
So if you are like me, a mom on a tight budget, I suggest that you consider purchasing a prepaid health plan for your kids. Not only is it convenient because it won't require paperwork but it also doesn't discriminate against stay at home parents. It's not like we are praying for the worst to come, but preparedness means safety for our family.
How about you? Have you tried any of these prepaid health cards? How was your experience?
Nhessie, I bookmarked this article. Salamat sa pagbabahagi. Malaking help sa mga naghahanap ng alternative.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could help momsh.
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