PhilHealth members stop paying contributions due to a lot of reasons. Some fail to fulfill their obligations due to financial constraints or job loss, while other voluntary members intentionally do it because they believe it’s pointless.
Whatever the circumstances, some members will eventually “restart” their membership and continue paying their contributions. If you’re one of them, this article will answer all your frequently asked questions.
Disclaimer: This article has been published for educational purposes only. Neither the author nor FilipiKnow is affiliated with PhilHealth, so specific queries about your membership and insurance benefits must be forwarded to the proper authority.
Table of Contents
I Already Registered but Have Not Made Contributions in Years. How Do I Reactivate My PhilHealth Account?
No additional registration is required. Each PhilHealth subscriber receives a special identification number. However, you have to renew your membership. To do this, you must submit an updated PMRF (PhilHealth Member Registration Form).
Fill out the areas of the form that need to be modified from the last time you made a payment by checking the box next to the amendment. Update your income information as well.
You can be liable for any missed ones depending on when your previous premium was paid. To discuss your unique situation and the proper payment, you should stop by your local PhilHealth branch since this may differ from case to case.
Do I Need to Pay for Missed PhilHealth Contributions?
Yes. Under the UHC’s IRR1, non-payment will not result in the termination of receiving benefits; however, you will be obligated to make up any missed payments and monthly interest compounding.
If you made nine consecutive monthly payments before the unpaid months or a retroactive payment within one month after the unpaid months, you are eligible to make a payment retrospectively for up to three months. If not, you will be required to pay the fine.
Again, it is better to personally go to your local PhilHealth office to discuss your case and check how much you need to pay for the missed contributions.
How Can I Pay My Unpaid PhilHealth Contributions?
You can follow this guide to learn how to pay your PhilHealth contributions for the months you’ve missed.
PhilHealth allows retroactive contribution payment if the member has paid nine consecutive monthly contributions2 before the unpaid months/missed quarter.
In addition, you must pay retroactively within one month after the unpaid months.
For example, you missed paying your PhilHealth contributions from July to September 2019. You can retroactively pay for those unpaid months within October 2019 if you have consistently paid your contributions from October 2018 to June 2019.
Members will NOT be denied PhilHealth coverage due to non-payment of premiums. However, members with incomplete PhilHealth contributions who failed to pay them within the grace period, as explained above, will now be billed for their unpaid monthly premiums with interests (compounded monthly).
I’ve Resigned From My Job To Become a Self-Employed Member/OFW. How Can I Continue Paying My PhilHealth Contributions?
If you stopped your PhilHealth contribution payments because you resigned from local employment to become self-employed or an OFW, you should visit the nearest PhilHealth office to update your membership category to the Informal Economy – Self-Earning Individual or Migrant Worker (whichever is applicable).
Check this guide for the steps to change your PhilHealth membership information.
Once your membership data is updated, you can start paying contributions again at any Local Health Insurance Office or accredited collecting agents nationwide or abroad.
References
- Philippines, Department of Health (DOH), PhilHealth. (2019). Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Universal Health Care Act (Republic Act No. 11223). Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
- Philippines, Department of Health (DOH), PhilHealth. (2017). PhilHealth Circular No. 2017-0021: Application of Sufficient Regularity of Payment of Premium Contributions to the Required Qualifying Contributions for Eligibility to PhilHealth Benefits.
Hello!
I have an upcoming surgery in May/June 2023 and I just updated my Philhealth earlier as voluntary or self-earning individual (freelance). And I paid from January 2023-present. However, I was unemployed and with no projects and solid income from 2021-2022. I was told by a representative that I will be able to get benefits for this coming procedure, BUT if I undergo another procedure or get hospitalized for a second time in the future, I will not be able to get benefits IF I’m unable to completely settle the missed contributions from 2021-2022. Is this really the case? Because it sound anti-poor or anti-middleclass to me since I am currently working freelance and money doesn’t come in monthly.
And how does that differ if, say, I get employed by a private company. The contributions will be moving forward and I’d still have to settle the missed ones separately? This is confusing. Because my wife was unemployed from 2016-2021, then she got hired by a private company and I benefitted from her as a dependent back in 2022 when I had my first major surgery. When she updated her Philhealth to add me as a dependent while I was confined, she was never told to settle any missed contributions.
I’d appreciate your help on this. Thank you very much!
Good Day!
I wasn’t able to pay my Phil health Contribution since 2020. And when i admitted at the hospital on January 2019 the Government of Davao Oriental paid my contribution. Since i did not update my contribution should I pay for 3 years ? or can I only pay half months of the year so it can be updated. I am only Self-Employed Contributor I cannot afford to update my contributions for that long years.
Thank you hoping for your update.
Hello!
I was not able to pay my PHIC contributions for the month of Jan-March 2023, it so happen that I was hired by a new employer on March 31,2023.
I would like to know if the company will cover the missed monthly contributions(Jan-March 2023) or do I need to pay it separately? I was just hired last March 31, 2023,so I am not sure whether they will cover it since I missed those monthly payment contributions. Please advise.
Thank you!
Thank you and have a nice day.
Hi Muriel. You need to pay the missed contributions separately.
Can I use my philhealth even though I haven’t paid my contribution for two years, I was laid off from work since the started pandemic until now, pls answer