In a previous post, I told you about my experience with Philippine Health care, and how satisfied I was with the quality of care available here. As I said, the cost is much lower than what I would have expected to pay back home in the USA. However, there are ways to even keep costs lower, and that is through insurance.
In most cases, a health insurance policy in the USA is not practical. Most US health insurance policies are so expensive that having one while living in the Philippines would not be feasible or practical. Yes, buy bactrim online pharmacy, there are some exceptions – for instance if you are a US Military retiree, you can keep your tricare coverage here, but there are things to be done on that too, and it’s a different post. The good thing is, though, that good health insurance is available here!
Blue Cross Philippines offers a number of different plans to choose from, with coverage from birth until your golden years. Premiums are a bit expensive for earners here, but for Americans or others from the First World, you should find it to be inexpensive. There are other providers as well.
PhilHealth is the government sponsored health plan. It is very inexpensive. As a matter of fact, you can cover your whole family for just P1200 per year, just $2 per month! PhilHealth is a great plan for non-catastrophic health needs too. As a foreigner, you cannot sign up for PhilHealth. There is a solution, though. If your wife is a Filipina, she can sign up the family under her name, and then you will be covered (even a foreigner). I do recommend signing up for PhilHealth to cover your non-catastrophic medical needs. For me, since health care is so inexpensive here, I self-insure for my medical needs, and that is something you may consider as well.
Hi Bob
I visit Philippines in just 3 days time. Is it possible to get medical insurance in Phils under a tourist visa?. I'm not married by the way.
Hi Paul – if you are coming here on a tourist visa and unmarried, I don't think you can get medical insurance here. If you have a medical policy in the USA (or wherever you are coming from) you should check, they will probably offer some emergency coverage outside the country. There are also policies that you can get in the States for emergency medical evacuation, which may be something you want to look into. If you are only staying here for a short vacation, you probably don't need to look for additional coverage.
Thanks for this topic you wrote. We will be needing medical insurance when we arrive in the Philippines.
Hi Bob,
Can you give me an idea what the monthly premium is for Blue Cross? Do they have a web site I can check? Thanks.
I agree with you 100% re health care in the Philippines. Altho we have medical insurance here in the States, I have my annual medical checkup done in the Philippines as medical care there is much better, the service is excellent! I remember I had my EKG done and there were 5 technicians! I asked them if I was getting out of there alive! 😉 The care is just more personal, you don't feel like you're just another number.
Hi Tina and Ross – You can get full info on the Premiums and Benefits at http://www.bluecross.com.ph
Hi Bob,
Got a quick question me and my family and two friends are planning to live in the philippines for a year. we are planning to rent two houses.
How besides the internet can we find houses for rent? internet looks like a rip off. Davo city sounds nice sounds affordable too.
Well if you have any info email me thanks Bill
Hi Bill – definitely don't use the Internet to find a house! You are right, that is a rip off. Prices on the net for such are sometimes doubled or even tripled when listing, because it is thought that you can get a foreigner to go for it. The very best way to find a house here is to just get in your car and drive around different neighborhoods looking for signs on gates.
Hi bob you know how mutch cost in hospital if one woman
she is pregnant and make baby normal how mutch pay for doctors and hospital.
and tell me how to take out my Email Address because I make wrong before coments all the if I look your pages and
If I go in coments I look my email address.
Regards
Zois
Hi Zois – Feyma has never given birth here, so i can't say for sure. I believe, though, that friends have told me that the cost of a delivery is around P20,000 or so.
If you want to change your e-mail address, you should be able to click "logout" which is just under the line "Leave a Comment" and just log back in with your new information.
HI Bob thanks very mautch for your information
for the cost of hospital.
I no like change my Emaik address. I ask you why have my Email address already in your pages and haven't write coments
for you. Know you anderstand to me I don't know internet very well.
Regards
Hi Zois – Your e-mail address is not published anywhere on our pages. That is only for our internal use so that we know who is the person leaving the comment. If you don't care to change it, no problem!
Hi Bob,
I truly appreciate your insights on medical insurance in the Philippines. I am Filipino, borned and raised in the Philippines, and has lived in the US for 12 years. My mom who is 68 and lives in Manila is in need of medical insurance. I wasn't quite sure how to begin my inquiry on the matter considering I live here in the US. I tried searching online and came across your site. It truly has helped me get started. I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts on the subject.
All the best to you,
Nina Stacey
Hi Nina – I'm glad you found the information useful! Thanks for dropping by.
Hi bob The blue cross medical policies by intenational norms are very good value.During my recent vist to Davao we looked at housing school and medical cover and standard of medical care.By world standards the quality af all is good and the cost inexpensive. Here iam not comparing to UK or USA but to South Africa where i reside.
I checked Blue cross/Blue shield prices and found them to be high in my opinion. They were lower than in the USA, but I was surprised by how much they were not lower. So I went on line and did a bunch of research submitted request for quotes and this is the one company that returned a quote and was substantially less expensive and very extensive coverage as much as the BC/BS. The man’s name that contact me is David Hayes. He was very helpful and VERY through. I would strongly endorse him for those that are looking for medical coverage in the Philippines and all of SE Asia. I hope that all of this information is of help and comfort to anyone that may need it.
http://www.globalsurance.com.
Hi Frank and Wayne – Personally, I feel that medical coverage for everyday needs is not even necessary. We are self-insured. The only problem is for a major medical expense.
Bob, I've been looking at one of your advertisers, GlobalCare (http://www.globalcaregroup.com/globalcare.asp) which have hospitals in the metro Manila area. One of their three hospitals (St. Lukes) is so good I know people in California that go there for heart surgery instead of staying in the states. My question is, if a person was in Davao and wanted to get to a hospital in Manila the same day, would they be able to do it?
Hi Bob:
I would bet Bob for the vast majority of people that your statement is 110% applicable. However you take a person like myself that is diabetic and that requires medications to live a healthy life. It is not something that I enjoy at all but it is a fact of life. With your generous help earlier I was able to get the costs of several of the medications in the RP that I am required to take to, too live a quality life. In Julius's blog at http://www.philippinevoyager.com/ he wrote "How You Should Live Your Life" in which he talks about a friend of his fathers that passed away at the early age of 65 from diabetes complications. With a good regimen which includes medications, diabetics can live well into their 80s even 90s. The cost balance is the price of insurance verses price of medications and medical tests. With your help and with the help of others that my wifes Ate who know people in the medical profession in the RP I have been able to evaluate it is less expensive to have the medical insurance for a person like me. Personally I hope that most people fall into your category and can self insure. I could not wish diabetes on anyone. So you statement above is 110% correct for most people, but not all.
Wayne,
Just to follow-up with your post. My husband is diabetic too. Though, we're far away from retirement, I am curious when you say it's less expensive if you have med. insurance. Do you mind providing the link re: med insurance, if any. Or, any info…
Hi Lea:
The link is in post #15. Also even though your husband and I are both diabetics I am sure we each have individual medical needs beyond that which are not germane to each other. What may be a better cost for me may not be for him. The best thing for you to do is to go to that web site and contact the gentleman I mentioned and tell him you got the information from me. If you feel the need you can contact me directly. I am a member of this community and my contact info is available there.
try to check this site as well: http://www.maxicare.com.ph. I have a philhealth before, but in my opinion, maxicare is better although alittle expensive, especially if you want to stay in manila. They are accredited to most hospitals in here, if im not mistaken, even st luke's.
Hi Kevin K – Yeah, easy to get to Manila from Davao, less than 2 hours flying time. It would be feasible for most medical situations to go there if needed, except in a real emergency where time was critical. Actually, though, for a heart attack going to St. Lukes would not be the best bet, in my opinion. Davao Doctor's Hospital recently opened the Mindanao Heart Center with facilities similar to what they have at St. Lukes, so we have a world class heart care facility right here in Davao.
Hi Wayne – I am also type 2 diabetic. I understand though that everybody's situation is different and what works for one person may not work for another.
Hi Jerico – Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.
Everybody seems to diabetic these days. Easy on the rambutan. The standard of care in the Philippines is very well at par and at times better that advanced countries. It all depends on your ability to pay. In short your life expectancy depends on how deep your pocket is. Healthcare in the Philippines is very affordable. There are a bounty of specialist and sub-specialist which you can self refer yourself. Unlike here in the US depending on your insurance. You might get diagnosed by a Nurse practioner or Physician asst. I recently went to the ER for chest pain. Although the ER doc and critical care specialist saw me. It took about 24 hours of hospital stay before I was able to get a cardiologist to see me. Now that would not happen in the Philippines if you can afford it. There is also a difficulty in finding doctors/clinics that accept Tricare in some US cities unless you're located near large military facility. Physicians in the Philippines will also prescribe the best medicine for your budget. Most insurances have "drug formularies". They will allow Drs to prescribe the cheapest drug not the best one.
Hi Bobby – That's true, diabetes is getting so widespread! I also agree with you about getting care here. As long as you have money, good medical care is ready at your service!
Hi Bob I have been searching on the Web for Davao Docs website. Im surprized they dont have one! I see one for the student college but not for the medical side. I think an oversight if they were pushing for medical tourism. I see St Lukes has a half decent site. Maybe a opportuntity to contact Davao Docs and offer them a website!:smile:
I wanted to contact them to enquire if they do any treatment for Hep C as i know someone there who has the virus that i was trying to help in a small way. I know they do at St Lukes.
by the way best Blogg on the Philippines keep up the good work.
Graham
Hi Graham – I do not believe that the hospital has a website.
I would not be interested in building a website for them – I don't build websites for other people, only for myself. There isn't enough money in building sites to interest me. I prefer to concentrate on my own sites where I can use them to earn money. Lots more money available that way!